Loft food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · St Albans City
Loft holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The restaurant met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.
The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory
The rating dates from 16 December 2025, 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: 23B George Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4ES
How it compares in St Albans City
In St Albans City, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so Loft sits behind roughly 975 nearby businesses. 6% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 818 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 157 | 15% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 63 | 6% | ← Loft | |
| 2 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 105 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 Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory
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 Loft 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 Loft, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artist Locanda Bagutta Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 20 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 October 2025 |
| Centre 33 Other catering premises | 66 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 June 2024 |
| Darlish Ice Cream Takeaway/sandwich shop | 95 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 April 2024 |
| Aloha Poke Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 105 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 December 2024 |
| Bellaccinos Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 147 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 January 2026 |
| Caffe Nero Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 179 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 June 2025 |
| Cross Street Centre Other catering premises | 187 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 October 2024 |
| Baruccio Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 210 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 October 2025 |
Questions about Loft
What is Loft's food hygiene rating?
Loft has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by St Albans City Council on 16 December 2025.
Is Loft safe to eat at?
A 3 means the restaurant met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.
When was Loft last inspected?
Loft was last inspected on 16 December 2025, 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 Loft?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Loft compare to other places in St Albans City?
77% of the 1,058 rated food businesses in St Albans City hold the top rating of 5, while Loft holds a 3. 63 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
St Albans City Council inspects Loft 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 Loft 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 1,163 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 →