Coffee At The Close food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Chelmsford
Coffee At The Close holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the restaurant and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
This is a fresh result: Coffee At The Close was inspected on 16 July 2026, so the rating reflects what the inspector found very recently.
Only 1% of rated food businesses in Chelmsford score 0 to 2 like this, so a low rating here is the exception, not the norm. See all Chelmsford ratings →
Address: 10 Meon Close, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 7QQ
How this rating has changed
Coffee At The Close was re-inspected on 16 July 2026 and held its rating of 1.
| Inspected | Rating | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 16 July 2026 | AwaitingInspection 1 | Held |
The FSA publishes only a business's current rating. This history is our own record of what it has scored since we began watching.
How it compares in Chelmsford
A 1 is rare: only 10 of 1,456 rated places in Chelmsford score this low, about one in 146. By contrast 92% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,335 | 92% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 84 | 6% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 19 | 1% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 7 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ← Coffee At The Close | |
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 144 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Major improvement necessary
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Very good
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
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 Coffee At The Close the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled and confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Coffee At The Close, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ab Salute Gym Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 March 2026 |
| Boyz Pizza Mobile caterer | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 November 2024 |
| Broomfield Pantry Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 March 2026 |
| Bright Horizons Chelmsford Day Nursery \& Preschool Caring Premises | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 March 2025 |
| Anglia Ruskin University School/college/university | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 5 November 2025 |
| ARU Students Union Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 November 2025 |
| Aldi Stores Limited Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 July 2026 |
| Busy Bees Springfield School/college/university | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 2 July 2026 |
Questions about Coffee At The Close
What is Coffee At The Close's food hygiene rating?
Coffee At The Close has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Chelmsford Council on 16 July 2026.
Is Coffee At The Close safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The restaurant is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Coffee At The Close last inspected?
Coffee At The Close was last inspected on 16 July 2026, a month ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Chelmsford Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Coffee At The Close?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "major improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very good", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Coffee At The Close compare to other places in Chelmsford?
92% of the 1,456 rated food businesses in Chelmsford hold the top rating of 5, while Coffee At The Close holds a 1. 10 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Chelmsford Council inspects Coffee At The Close 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 Coffee At The Close 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 →
Is this your business?
A rating of 1 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Chelmsford, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Chelmsford
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Chelmsford inspects and rates 1,600 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Chelmsford →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.chelmsford.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 →