'Urgent improvement necessary' - Zero star hygiene rating for Liverpool city centre chain restaurant
‘Urgent improvement’ was necessary in all three key categories.
A chain restaurant in Liverpool city centre has been hit with a zero star food hygiene rating, after an inspection in September.
According to the Food Standards Agency, Pizza Express - at Monarchs Quay, Liverpool L3 4FP - was given the lowest possible rating after a visit from inspectors on September 12, 2025. It voluntarily closed for a number of days as a result.
Some details of the inspection have been released and show that, at the time of the visit, ‘urgent improvement’ was necessary in all three key categories - hygienic food handling, cleanliness and condition of facilities and management of food safety.
According to the Food Standards Agency, these categories look at the following:
- Hygienic food handling: Including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.
- Cleanliness and condition of facilities: Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building (including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control) to enable good food hygiene.
- Management of food safety: System or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future.
A spokesperson for Pizza Express said: “At PizzaExpress, we’re committed to the highest standards of food safety and hygiene. We voluntarily closed our Liverpool Albert Dock pizzeria to complete maintenance works, which have now finished.
“We’re pleased the restaurant is open again and look forward to a follow up inspection to bring the rating back up to where we, and our customers, expect it to be.”
Liverpool World has submitted a Freedom of Information request (FOI) to Liverpool City Council for further information.