EL&N London, a café chain with international locations including Germany, Saudi Arabia, and France, has been instructed to make improvements after failing a food hygiene inspection for the second time in just over a year. The city centre café, located on New Street and opened in 2024 in the space previously occupied by the Commonwealth Games store, is known for offering matchas, mocktails, and a colourful dining environment described as an “unforgettable dining experience”.
On 18 August 2026, the Birmingham branch of EL&N London received a food hygiene rating of two from food safety inspectors, indicating that improvement was necessary. According to the Food Standards Agency, any score below three, which denotes “generally satisfactory” hygiene standards, is deemed a fail.
While the café’s hygienic food handling and food safety management were rated as “generally satisfactory,” concerns were raised over the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building. Areas such as the layout, ventilation, availability of handwashing facilities, and pest control were all assessed and deemed to require improvement to ensure proper food hygiene.
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This is the second occasion within a little over a year that EL&N London’s Birmingham location has failed to meet the required hygiene standards. A similar food hygiene rating of two was awarded on 7 August 2025.
EL&N London was contacted for comment regarding the recent inspection results but no statement has been received at this time.