5

Al Farid food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · St Albans City

Al Farid holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the restaurant met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 10 January 2026, 6 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: 26 Holywell Hill, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 1BZ

How it compares in St Albans City

That puts Al Farid among the 820 places in St Albans City holding top marks, 77% of everywhere the council rates. A 5 is the norm here rather than the exception, so it is the rating to expect, not to be impressed by.

Every rated food business in St Albans City
5 out of 5 820 77% ← Al Farid
4 out of 5 153 14%
3 out of 5 65 6%
2 out of 5 10 1%
1 out of 5 10 1%
0 out of 5 1 <1%

A further 98 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

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 Al Farid 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 Al Farid, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Baruccio Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 12 yards away 5 - Very good 15 October 2025
Books on the Hill Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 48 yards away 5 - Very good 14 December 2023
Boha Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 52 yards away 5 - Very good 24 November 2023
Bill's Restaurants Limited Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 106 yards away 5 - Very good 22 October 2025
Aloha Poke Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 110 yards away 5 - Very good 17 June 2026
Brad and Dills Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 120 yards away 5 - Very good 17 January 2026
Co-op Food London Road Retailers - other 152 yards away 5 - Very good 4 December 2024
Caffe Nero Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 153 yards away 5 - Very good 12 June 2025

Questions about Al Farid

What is Al Farid's food hygiene rating?

Al Farid has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by St Albans City Council on 10 January 2026.

Is Al Farid safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 5 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was Al Farid last inspected?

Al Farid was last inspected on 10 January 2026, 6 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 Al Farid?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very good", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does Al Farid compare to other places in St Albans City?

77% of the 1,059 rated food businesses in St Albans City hold the top rating of 5, and Al Farid is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

St Albans City Council inspects Al Farid 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 Al Farid 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 →