Howard Cafe & Restaurant food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Bedford
Howard Cafe & Restaurant 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 5 March 2025, 16 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: 7 Howard Centre, Bedford, MK40 1UH
How it compares in Bedford
In Bedford, 83% of rated places manage a 5, so Howard Cafe & Restaurant sits behind roughly 1,372 nearby businesses. 5% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,208 | 83% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 164 | 11% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 72 | 5% | ← Howard Cafe & Restaurant | |
| 2 out of 5 | 12 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 4 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 190 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 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 Howard Cafe & Restaurant 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 Howard Cafe & Restaurant, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadway Food Centre Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 90 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 March 2026 |
| Bedford Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 103 yards away | 5 - Very good | 5 September 2024 |
| Boots Retailers - other | 107 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 August 2017 |
| Bedford Food Center Retailers - other | 153 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 March 2025 |
| B&M Retail Ltd Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 163 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 February 2025 |
| Bedford International Express Retailers - other | 169 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 February 2023 |
| Albero Lounge Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 186 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 April 2025 |
| Al Fairoz Takeaway/sandwich shop | 192 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 October 2025 |
Questions about Howard Cafe & Restaurant
What is Howard Cafe & Restaurant's food hygiene rating?
Howard Cafe & Restaurant has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Bedford Council on 5 March 2025.
Is Howard Cafe & Restaurant 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 Howard Cafe & Restaurant last inspected?
Howard Cafe & Restaurant was last inspected on 5 March 2025, 16 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Bedford Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Howard Cafe & Restaurant?
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 "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Howard Cafe & Restaurant compare to other places in Bedford?
83% of the 1,460 rated food businesses in Bedford hold the top rating of 5, while Howard Cafe & Restaurant holds a 3. 72 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Bedford Council inspects Howard Cafe & Restaurant 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 Howard Cafe & Restaurant 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
Bedford inspects and rates 1,650 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Bedford →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.bedford.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 →