The ‘most Instagrammable’ cafe gets low hygiene scores

According to the British Food Standards Agency, the EL&N store, located at St Pancras station in London, received an overall score of 1/5 after an inspection in December 2025.

In the food hygiene rating system, the scale ranges from 0 to 5, with 5 being the highest level. Scoring only 1 point shows that this facility has many serious shortcomings that must be significantly improved to meet safety standards.

The inspection report pointed out a series of issues related to food handling stages such as preparation, cooking, kitchen processing, especially safety items. In addition, the level of employee knowledge and ability to maintain standards in the future is also not guaranteed, posing a direct risk to customer health.

A representative of the EL&N chain said this facility is quickly fixing the problems. “The inspection identified outdoor food display violations. However, we have strict precautions and rigorous daily cleaning procedures in place.”

This unit also believes that operating in a crowded station causes the shop to encounter great challenges from the outside environment such as insects.

At international forums and review sites such as Reddit, TripAdvisor and Google Reviews, information about EL&N St Pancras’s 1/5 hygiene score prompted a series of less positive responses, mainly focusing on the contrast between appearance and quality.

Many reviews say that the pastries here are often dry, have a harsh sweet taste that is difficult to eat, and the quality is only at a “mediocre” level. Account LondonTraveler commented on TripAdvisor: “I spent 8 euros (about 250,000 VND) for a small cake but the taste is no different from industrial products in the supermarket, too expensive compared to the real value.”

In subsection r/london of Reddit, the phrase “style over substance” is most commonly used to describe the shop. User has a name UrbanExplorerLDN commented: “This is typically a ‘tourist trap’. They only focus on flower walls for tourists to take virtual photos of, but ignore the core of hygiene and taste.”

Concerns about hygiene increased after the 1/5 rating was announced. Many customers reported that food here is often displayed openly, without lids in a dusty station environment, and some have even seen insects clinging around the shelf area.

EL&N (short for Eat, Live & Nourish) is a famous coffee and fast food chain founded in London, currently operating 35 branches globally.

This brand targets the young customer segment thanks to its sophisticated decoration style with main pink tones, flower walls and artistic photography corners. In particular, the store located at St Pancras International Station in London is one of the most iconic destinations, once praised by the media and the online community as “the most photo-worthy cafe in the world” or “the most Instagrammable location”.

St Pancras is an important gateway to London, receiving Eurostar trains to Paris and Brussels. Located in a prime location of the gateway station connecting England with Europe, the shop specializes in serving specialty coffees, sandwiches and pastries to serve commuters.

However, due to the nature of operating in a crowded terminal space, this facility often faces challenges in environmental control and large passenger traffic. Ensuring a balance between a flashy online visual experience and actual operating standards is becoming a big problem for this brand.