Haystack Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Cardiff
Haystack Cafe 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 10 December 2025, 7 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: 241 Cowbridge Road East, Riverside, Cardiff, CF11 9TB
How it compares in Cardiff
In Cardiff, 70% of rated places manage a 5, so Haystack Cafe sits behind roughly 2,675 nearby businesses. 8% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 2,116 | 70% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 559 | 18% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 255 | 8% | ← Haystack Cafe | |
| 2 out of 5 | 45 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 48 | 2% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 8 | <1% |
A further 416 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 Haystack 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 Haystack Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral Pub/bar/nightclub | 26 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 February 2024 |
| Beanfreaks Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 118 yards away | 5 - Very good | 3 May 2023 |
| Atlas Stores Retailers - other | 430 yards away | 5 - Very good | 23 February 2022 |
| Beverley Hotel Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 March 2024 |
| Apollo Pizza Kebab Burger Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 October 2025 |
| Bamboo Garden Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 19 June 2025 |
| A & K Rees Family Butchers Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 5 August 2025 |
| Arif Halal Food Store Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 April 2025 |
Questions about Haystack Cafe
What is Haystack Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Haystack Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Cardiff Council on 10 December 2025.
Is Haystack Cafe 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 Haystack Cafe last inspected?
Haystack Cafe was last inspected on 10 December 2025, 7 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Cardiff Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Haystack 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 Haystack Cafe compare to other places in Cardiff?
70% of the 3,031 rated food businesses in Cardiff hold the top rating of 5, while Haystack Cafe holds a 3. 255 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Cardiff Council inspects Haystack 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 Haystack 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
Haystack Cafe is one of 116 rated food businesses in Riverside. See every hygiene rating in Riverside →
Cardiff inspects and rates 3,447 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Cardiff →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.srs.wales/en/Environmental-Health/Food-Hygiene-Standards/Food.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 →