There's no shortage of places to eat in Cardiff. Our capital is blessed with some of the nation's best restaurants spread out all across the city.
There are plenty of quirky, lesser-known foodie haunts in the city centre, but after a busy day of shopping it's pretty common to find yourself grabbing a bite to eat in St David's shopping centre. It's home to plenty of big-name restaurants like Zizzi and Wagamama and smaller chains like KIN+ILK and The Bagel Place, as well as several smaller cafes and pricier options like The Ivy.
But how clean are the places you're going for lunch or dinner in St David's centre? In Wales, every business serving food has to display a sticker showing its food hygiene rating after an inspection from a local authority food safety officer.
READ MORE: I tried the Christmas sandwiches from Cardiff's independent shops to see which really is the best
We've put together a list of the food hygiene ratings of all the places you can buy food in St David's shopping centre.
What are the possible ratings?
Businesses, including restaurants, pubs, cafes, takeaways, supermarkets, and even schools and care homes are rated on a scale of 0-5. This is what the scale means:
5 – hygiene standards are very good
4 – hygiene standards are good
3 – hygiene standards are generally satisfactory
2 – some improvement is necessary
1 – major improvement is necessary
0 – urgent improvement is required
What do these ratings mean?
The ratings are based on the handling, storage, and preparation of food - as well as the cleanliness of facilities and how food safety is managed. More specifically, according to the UK Government's Food Standards Agency, these are the three criteria:
- "How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored"
- "The physical condition of the business –including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities"
- "How the business manages ways of keeping food safe, looking at processes, training and systems to ensure good hygiene is maintained. The officer can then assess the level of confidence in standards being maintained in the future"
What are the ratings for St David's shopping centre's restaurants and cafes?
These ratings are correct as of the morning of December 13, 2022, per the Food Standards Agency website. They are:
Auntie Anne's
68 St David's Dewi Sant Grand Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EL
Last inspected: November 24, 2020
Rating: 5
Barburrito
Unit 4 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: July 27, 2022
Rating: 5
Cafe Rouge Cardiff St David's / The Wonder Chicken / Stack & Grill
13 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: January 16, 2020
Rating: 5
Chopstix Noodle Bar
15 - 17 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: August 2, 2022
Rating: 4
Ciliegino
90 St David's Dewi Sant Grand Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EL
Last inspected: June 18, 2021
Rating: 5
Costa Ltd
14 St David's Dewi Sant Grand Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2ER
Last inspected: May 11, 2021
Rating: 5
Cosy Club
Cosy Club St Davids Dewi Sant 1 Hill's Street Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2LE
Last inspected: October 25, 2022
Rating: 5
CUPP
24 St David's Dewi Sant Grand Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2ER
Last inspected: April 20, 2021
Rating: 4
Ed's Easy Diner
1 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: June 7, 2021
Rating: 5
Frankie & Benny's
18 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: February 5, 2020
Rating: 5
TGI Fridays
15 - 17 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: November 26, 2019
Rating: 5
Frozen Kiosks Ltd
St David's Dewi Sant 11 Bridge Street Arcade Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: November 23, 2021
Rating: 5
Greggs
34 Queen Street Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2BW
Last inspected: October 13, 2020
Rating: 5
Holland & Barrett
79 Queen Street Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2BE
Last inspected: August 22, 2017
Rating: 5
Hotel Chocolat
30 St Davids Way Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2DP
Last inspected: January 16, 2020
Rating: 5
John Lewis
John Lewis The Hayes Cathays Cardiff
CF10 1EG
Last inspected: May 21, 2015
Rating: 5
KIN + ILK St Davids
1a Hills Street Cardiff
CF10 2LE
Last inspected: December 9, 2021
Rating: 5
Krispy Kreme
1 Town Wall South Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EW
Last inspected: May 27, 2021
Rating: 5
Marks & Spencer
72 - 76 Queen Street Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2XG
Last inspected: August 15, 2022
Rating: 5
Mount Fuji Tokyo Teriyaki Restaurant
20 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: January 16, 2020
Rating: 5
Muffin Break
6 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: January 11, 2021
Rating: 5
My Cookie Dough
9 Town Wall South Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EW
Last inspected: August 5, 2022
Rating: 5
Nando's
12 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: November 30, 2020
Rating: 5
Pizza Express
16 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: September 23, 2016
Rating: 5
Pret A Manger
3 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: February 11, 2020
Rating: 5
Prezzo
14 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: September 17, 2020
Rating: 5
Shake Shack
First Floor 86 - 88 St David's Dewi Sant Grand Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EL
Last inspected: November 24, 2020
Rating: 5
Slim Chickens
16 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: November 23, 2020
Rating: 5
Starbucks
Starbucks Coffee Co (uk) Ltd 23 The Hayes Cathays Cardiff
CF10 1GA
Last inspected: September 1, 2020
Rating: 5
Tesco Express
Street Record Tredegar Street Cathays Cardiff
Last inspected: August 16, 2021
Rating: 5
The Bagel Place
2B Town Wall Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2DQ
Last inspected: February 11, 2022
Rating: 5
The Ivy Cardiff
43 The Hayes Cathays Cardiff
CF10 1GA
Last inspected: June 24, 2021
Rating: 5
The Ivy Asia Cardiff
47 The Hayes Cathays Cardiff
CF10 1GA
Last inspected: October 27, 2022
Rating: 5
Wagamama
14 Mill Lane Cathays Cardiff
CF10 1FL
Last inspected: August 11, 2020
Rating: 5
Wahaca
Wahaca 51 - 53 The Hayes Cathays Cardiff
CF10 1GA
Last inspected: January 8, 2021
Rating: 4
YO! / Lucky 7 Chicken
5 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: August 17, 2022
Rating: 3
Zizzi Restaurant
7 St David's Dewi Sant Bridge Street Arcade Cathays Cardiff
CF10 2EF
Last inspected: April 28, 2021
Rating: 4
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