Western Malabar Cafe food hygiene rating
Takeaway/sandwich shop · Barking and Dagenham
Western Malabar Cafe holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The takeaway 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 5 November 2025, 8 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: Character House, Coppen Road, RM8 1HJ
How it compares in Barking and Dagenham
In Barking and Dagenham, 55% of rated places manage a 5, so Western Malabar Cafe sits behind roughly 932 nearby businesses. 14% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 657 | 55% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 275 | 23% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 164 | 14% | ← Western Malabar Cafe | |
| 2 out of 5 | 26 | 2% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 71 | 6% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 4 | <1% |
A further 249 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 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 Western Malabar 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 Western Malabar Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asda Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 251 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 September 2025 |
| B&M Retail Ltd Retailers - other | 251 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 March 2026 |
| AM News Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 5 August 2025 |
| Abu Discount Store Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 20 February 2025 |
| Aum Cash & Carry Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 March 2025 |
| Bambinos Mobile caterer | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 20 October 2023 |
| Aguona Retailers - other | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 4 August 2025 |
| Amiraj Caterers Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 December 2025 |
Questions about Western Malabar Cafe
What is Western Malabar Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Western Malabar Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Barking and Dagenham Council on 5 November 2025.
Is Western Malabar Cafe safe to eat at?
A 3 means the takeaway 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 Western Malabar Cafe last inspected?
Western Malabar Cafe was last inspected on 5 November 2025, 8 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Barking and Dagenham Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Western Malabar Cafe?
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 "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Western Malabar Cafe compare to other places in Barking and Dagenham?
55% of the 1,197 rated food businesses in Barking and Dagenham hold the top rating of 5, while Western Malabar Cafe holds a 3. 164 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Barking and Dagenham Council inspects Western Malabar 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 Western Malabar 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
Western Malabar Cafe is one of 634 rated food businesses in Dagenham. See every hygiene rating in Dagenham →
Barking and Dagenham inspects and rates 1,446 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Barking and Dagenham →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.lbbd.gov.uk/Pages/Home.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 →