5

Alma food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Exeter City

Alma 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 17 November 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: 55 Bartholomew Street West, Exeter, EX4 3AJ

How it compares in Exeter City

That puts Alma among the 870 places in Exeter City holding top marks, 87% 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 Exeter City
5 out of 5 870 87% ← Alma
4 out of 5 88 9%
3 out of 5 30 3%
2 out of 5 4 <1%
1 out of 5 7 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 111 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 Alma 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 Alma, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Cake Or Death Limited Retailers - other 25 yards away 5 - Very good 21 January 2026
Bel's Kitchen Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 116 yards away 5 - Very good 17 January 2025
Boulder Exe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 154 yards away 5 - Very good 2 February 2026
Bargain Buys Retailers - other 297 yards away 5 - Very good 25 January 2021
Bishops Blaize Pub/bar/nightclub 340 yards away 5 - Very good 12 February 2018
Bombay Spice Indian Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 366 yards away 5 - Very good 26 March 2026
Board/Pressed Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 367 yards away 5 - Very good 29 June 2026
Al Farid Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 396 yards away 5 - Very good 23 October 2024

Questions about Alma

What is Alma's food hygiene rating?

Alma has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Exeter City Council on 17 November 2025.

Is Alma 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 Alma last inspected?

Alma was last inspected on 17 November 2025, 7 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Exeter City Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Alma?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very 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 Alma compare to other places in Exeter City?

87% of the 999 rated food businesses in Exeter City hold the top rating of 5, and Alma is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Exeter City Council inspects Alma 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 Alma and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Exeter City inspects and rates 1,110 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Exeter City

The official record is held by the council: http://www.exeter.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 →