Popular food and wine spot in the city centre has been praised by Jay Rayner amongst others
The owners of a popular Liverpool wine bar and bistro heralded by food critic Jay Rayner have said they are ‘very upset’ to have been hit with a zero food hygiene rating by health inspectors. Queens Wine Bar and Bistro was inspected by Liverpool Council’s environmental health team in August and received the lowest possible score.
The bistro opened five years ago and has been charming diners and drinkers ever since. A stylish venue, the bistro is nestled amongst the quiet shops and artisan businesses of Queen Avenue, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Castle Street and Dale Street.
The business had been gaining plaudits for its food, wine and atmosphere in recent years, so its owners were shocked to be hit with a rating of zero for food hygiene following the summer inspection. According to the Food Standards Agency, the main cause for concern came with regard to the management of food safety, where it was reported that urgent improvement is required.
READ MORE: List of six new Liverpool locations where traffic cameras are now in placeREAD MORE: How much money King Charles makes from every Mersey Ferry crossing
In a statement to the ECHO, Queens owners said: “We acknowledge that we received a visit by an Environmental Health Officer who scored us at a 0. The findings related to food storage – in this case, a freezer – which the Environmental Health Officer was not aware of when they visited previously. Our standards at Queens are incredibly high, and it was changes in staffing and a matter of oversight on our part that this appliance wasn’t disclosed.”
The business owners said they are ‘very upset’ with the rating and are now awaiting a re-visit from the environmental health teams to “establish a score that is more indicative of our efforts.”
TheIR statement added: “We have also already begun working with a food compliance officer, Katy Elliott, to help us implement additional processes and training to achieve the higher rating that we feel reflects Queens Bistro.
“We want to reassure everyone that there is no risk to our guests in the restaurant. This matter is primarily administrative and does not pertain to cleanliness or food handling. We’re working hard to make sure we’re totally compliant in all areas.”
According to the Food Standards Agency, there were also concerns raised in terms of hygienic food handling at the bistro, with major improvements required, meanwhile the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building were regarded as generally satisfactory.
In 2022, Queens Bistro was positively reviewed by respected Guardian food critic Jay Rayner, who described the venue as somewhere that ‘shows you a very nice time indeed.’
Local council environmental health teams regularly inspect the hygiene standards of businesses in their area that offer food to customers. The inspections give businesses a rating from 5 to 0 which is displayed at their premises. A rating of five means hygiene standards are very good, while zero means that urgent improvement is required.
