5

The Boot food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · St Albans City

The Boot holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the pub met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 11 March 2026, 4 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: The Boot Ph, 4 Market Place, St Albans, AL3 5DG

How it compares in St Albans City

That puts The Boot among the 818 places in St Albans City holding top marks, 77% 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 St Albans City
5 out of 5 818 77% ← The Boot
4 out of 5 157 15%
3 out of 5 63 6%
2 out of 5 10 1%
1 out of 5 10 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 105 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 The Boot 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 The Boot, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Caffe Nero Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen at this address 5 - Very good 12 June 2025
Bellaccinos Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 37 yards away 5 - Very good 17 January 2026
Bill's Restaurants Limited Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 77 yards away 5 - Very good 22 October 2025
Darlish Ice Cream Takeaway/sandwich shop 90 yards away 5 - Very good 24 April 2024
Aloha Poke Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 116 yards away 5 - Very good 12 December 2024
Brad and Dills Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 116 yards away 5 - Very good 17 January 2026
Books on the Hill Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 125 yards away 5 - Very good 14 December 2023
Cross Street Centre Other catering premises 128 yards away 5 - Very good 10 October 2024

Questions about The Boot

What is The Boot's food hygiene rating?

The Boot has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by St Albans City Council on 11 March 2026.

Is The Boot 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 pub to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Boot last inspected?

The Boot was last inspected on 11 March 2026, 4 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by St Albans City Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Boot?

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

77% of the 1,058 rated food businesses in St Albans City hold the top rating of 5, and The Boot is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

St Albans City Council inspects The Boot 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 The Boot and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

St Albans City inspects and rates 1,163 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in St Albans City

The official record is held by the council: http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/business/Health-and-safety/food-safety/foodHygieneRating.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 →