Dark Fire Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · St Albans City
Dark Fire Cafe 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 30 July 2025, 11 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: Unit 8, Gavel Centre, Porters Wood, AL3 6PQ
How it compares in St Albans City
In St Albans City, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so Dark Fire Cafe sits behind roughly 820 nearby businesses. 14% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 820 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 153 | 14% | ← Dark Fire Cafe | |
| 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
- Hygienic food handling Very good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- 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 Dark Fire Cafe 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 Dark Fire Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banana Moon Day Nursery Caring Premises | 39 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 October 2025 |
| ABC-XYZ Childcare @ Bernards Heath Juniors Caring Premises | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 26 April 2024 |
| Carpenters Nursery, Farm Shop & The Potting Shed Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 5 March 2026 |
| Body Limit Gym Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 July 2024 |
| Chef Express also t/a Korea Town, High Oaks Peri Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 December 2025 |
| DJ's Jungle Adventure, Unit 2A Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 11 March 2025 |
| Culinera @ Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School School/college/university | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 March 2026 |
| Batchwood School Catering School/college/university | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 October 2024 |
Questions about Dark Fire Cafe
What is Dark Fire Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Dark Fire Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by St Albans City Council on 30 July 2025.
Is Dark Fire Cafe 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 Dark Fire Cafe last inspected?
Dark Fire Cafe was last inspected on 30 July 2025, 11 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 Dark Fire Cafe?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Dark Fire Cafe 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, while Dark Fire Cafe holds a 4. 153 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
St Albans City Council inspects Dark Fire Cafe 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 Dark Fire Cafe and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
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 →