The Bishops Cave food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · St Albans City
The Bishops Cave holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 7 February 2025, 17 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.
Address: The Bishop's Cave, 19 Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 1EZ
How it compares in St Albans City
In St Albans City, 78% of rated places manage a 5, so The Bishops Cave sits behind roughly 821 nearby businesses. 14% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 821 | 78% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 153 | 14% | ← The Bishops Cave | |
| 3 out of 5 | 65 | 6% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 98 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
- How well they manage food safety Good
An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At The Bishops Cave none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to The Bishops Cave, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boha Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 41 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 November 2023 |
| Al Farid Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 49 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 January 2026 |
| Baruccio Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 57 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 October 2025 |
| Books on the Hill Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 72 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 December 2023 |
| Brad and Dills Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 132 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 January 2026 |
| Bill's Restaurants Limited Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 134 yards away | 5 - Very good | 22 October 2025 |
| Co-op Food London Road Retailers - other | 138 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 December 2024 |
| Caffe Nero Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 195 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 June 2025 |
Questions about The Bishops Cave
What is The Bishops Cave's food hygiene rating?
The Bishops Cave has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by St Albans City Council on 7 February 2025.
Is The Bishops Cave safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Bishops Cave last inspected?
The Bishops Cave was last inspected on 7 February 2025, 17 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by St Albans City Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Bishops Cave?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Bishops Cave compare to other places in St Albans City?
78% of the 1,059 rated food businesses in St Albans City hold the top rating of 5, while The Bishops Cave holds a 4. 153 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
St Albans City Council inspects The Bishops Cave and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.
Tell me when this changes
The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch The Bishops Cave and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
St Albans City inspects and rates 1,157 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in St Albans City →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/business/Health-and-safety/food-safety/foodHygieneRating.aspx
Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →