La Braseria, one of Swansea's longest-running restaurants, has been handed the worst possible food hygiene score. The Mediterranean establishment, located on Wind Street, received a zero rating from Swansea Council last month, indicating that 'urgent improvement necessary' is required. The restaurant, which opened in 1986, attributed the poor score to employees who 'no longer work for the company.'
Inspection Details and Previous Ratings
In the latest inspection, the council officer rated La Braseria as needing urgent improvement in its 'management of food safety,' which refers to the system in place to ensure food is safe. Its 'hygienic food handling' was also deemed to need improvement, although the cleanliness and condition of its facilities were considered generally satisfactory. The business told WalesOnline that its previous score was three (generally satisfactory), although for a period in 2022 it had a rating of one (major improvement necessary), which it attributed at the time to 'a high turnover of staff and a shortage of chefs' during the Covid pandemic.
Restaurant's Response
When asked for the reasons behind the current zero rating, La Braseria's office manager, Karen Davies, said: 'The company is extremely disappointed with the score that was generated from a routine inspection by the environmental health office. The employees responsible no longer work for the company. The environmental health office are happy that all improvements were acted upon immediately and we are confidently waiting a rescore.'
La Braseria is run by Daniel Tercero, who took over from his father Manuel several years ago. Its website says it specialises in 'fresh, locally sourced produce, complemented by one of the largest wine selections in Wales.' The restaurant has an average customer rating of 3.9 stars after more than 900 Google reviews.
Historical Context and Sister Restaurants
In 2006, the business opened a sister restaurant, La Parrilla, in the SA1 quarter. A second La Parrilla followed 11 years later in Mumbles, but both branches shut in 2020 citing 'a backdrop of unprecedented tough times.' Following its one-star rating in 2022, La Braseria said: 'Our industry has been very challenging recently with a high turnover of staff and a shortage of chefs during the coronavirus pandemic. This has regrettably led to some of our standards slipping, which were picked up on a spot visit. In our 35 years in business, we have never been through such a challenging time as we have over the last two years. We’ve had temporary staff and agency staff in just to keep the doors open as we’ve struggled immensely to recruit... We’re confident that we’ll regain our score to its usual very high standard.'
