Plates food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Dacorum
Plates holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 25 July 2025, 11 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: 350 High Street, Berkhamsted, HP4 1HT
How it compares in Dacorum
In Dacorum, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so Plates sits behind roughly 864 nearby businesses. 17% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 864 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 192 | 17% | ← Plates | |
| 3 out of 5 | 55 | 5% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 5 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 6 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 1 | <1% |
A further 137 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 Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Very good
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 Plates 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 Plates, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domino's Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop | at this address | 5 - Very good | 11 November 2025 |
| Bar 309 Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 70 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 March 2017 |
| PizzaExpress Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 173 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 October 2024 |
| Costa Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 173 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 September 2025 |
| Marks & Spencer Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 173 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 December 2024 |
| Giggling Squid Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 241 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 December 2024 |
| Berkhamsted Bowls Club Pub/bar/nightclub | 285 yards away | 5 - Very good | 28 February 2025 |
| Olive Tree Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 287 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 July 2025 |
Questions about Plates
What is Plates's food hygiene rating?
Plates has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Dacorum Council on 25 July 2025.
Is Plates safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was Plates last inspected?
Plates was last inspected on 25 July 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dacorum Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Plates?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "very good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Plates compare to other places in Dacorum?
77% of the 1,123 rated food businesses in Dacorum hold the top rating of 5, while Plates holds a 4. 192 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Dacorum Council inspects Plates 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 Plates and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Plates is one of 178 rated food businesses in Berkhamsted. See every hygiene rating in Berkhamsted →
Dacorum inspects and rates 1,260 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dacorum →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.dacorum.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 →