5

Costa Coffee food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · East Hertfordshire

Costa Coffee 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 15 January 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: Unit 5A, Madford Retail Park, Ware Road, SG13 7RQ

How it compares in East Hertfordshire

That puts Costa Coffee among the 977 places in East Hertfordshire holding top marks, 84% 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 East Hertfordshire
5 out of 5 977 84% ← Costa Coffee
4 out of 5 146 13%
3 out of 5 30 3%
2 out of 5 6 1%
1 out of 5 9 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 221 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 Costa Coffee 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 Costa Coffee, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Great Eastern Tavern Pub/bar/nightclub 337 yards away 5 - Very good 19 May 2024
Abel Smith Primary School School/college/university 343 yards away 5 - Very good 13 November 2025
Hertford Cake Co Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 424 yards away 5 - Very good 29 March 2024
Domino's Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 22 April 2024
Cinnabar Cafe Pub/bar/nightclub 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 8 February 2023
Busy Lizzies At Simon Balle School/college/university 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 3 June 2025
Hertford Bell Pub/bar/nightclub 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 24 June 2024
Esquires Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 26 May 2025

Questions about Costa Coffee

What is Costa Coffee's food hygiene rating?

Costa Coffee has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by East Hertfordshire Council on 15 January 2025.

Is Costa Coffee 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 Costa Coffee last inspected?

Costa Coffee was last inspected on 15 January 2025, 17 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by East Hertfordshire Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Costa Coffee?

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

How does Costa Coffee compare to other places in East Hertfordshire?

84% of the 1,168 rated food businesses in East Hertfordshire hold the top rating of 5, and Costa Coffee is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

East Hertfordshire Council inspects Costa Coffee 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 Costa Coffee and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Costa Coffee is one of 255 rated food businesses in Hertford. See every hygiene rating in Hertford

East Hertfordshire inspects and rates 1,389 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in East Hertfordshire

The official record is held by the council: http://www.eastherts.gov.uk

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 →