Food hygiene ratings in Colchester

Colchester inspects and rates 1,642 food businesses, every restaurant, takeaway, pub, school kitchen, care home and shop in the area that handles food. 1,358 of them currently hold a published rating; the remaining 284 are awaiting their first inspection or are exempt because they handle so little food there is nothing to score.

Hygiene standards in Colchester

Standards here are high: 90% of rated businesses in Colchester hold the top score of 5, and 96% hold a 4 or better. 12 businesses, under 1% of those rated, score 2 or below, meaning an inspector found problems they are required to fix.

How every rated business in Colchester scores
5 out of 5 1,225 90%
4 out of 5 75 6%
3 out of 5 46 3%
2 out of 5 2 <1%
1 out of 5 8 1%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

Towns in Colchester

Food hygiene ratings for each town Colchester inspects.

Recently inspected in Colchester

The most recent inspections published by Colchester, newest first.

BusinessTypeRatingInspected
North Hill Noodle Bar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 5 - Very good 3 September 2026
Annie's Bakehouse Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 5 - Very good 28 August 2026
Banana Moon Day Nursery Colchester School/college/university 5 - Very good 27 August 2026
Crystal Restaurant Takeaway/sandwich shop 5 - Very good 27 August 2026
Little Peeps Nursery Ltd Caring Premises 5 - Very good 27 August 2026
Sunhill Early Learning Colchester School/college/university 5 - Very good 27 August 2026
Tiney Tree's Home Nursery Caring Premises 5 - Very good 27 August 2026
Tiptree Day Nursery Caring Premises 5 - Very good 27 August 2026
Essex Care Consortium Caring Premises 5 - Very good 25 August 2026
Humpty Dumpty Preschool Caring Premises 5 - Very good 25 August 2026
Ivolve Care & Support Caring Premises 5 - Very good 25 August 2026
Jam Jar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 5 - Very good 25 August 2026

Lowest-rated places in Colchester

The lowest-rated food businesses in Colchester are listed below. 2 hold a 0, urgent improvement necessary, the lowest score the scheme gives, and 8 hold a 1. A low rating is not a closure order: these places are still trading, and a business can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems the inspector found.

BusinessTypeRatingInspected
M K Stores Retailers - other 0 - Urgent improvement necessary 19 August 2025
Coffee Link Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0 - Urgent improvement necessary 22 April 2025
Meatox Takeaway/sandwich shop 1 - Major improvement necessary 29 June 2026
Wan Fung House Takeaway/sandwich shop 1 - Major improvement necessary 30 July 2025
The Cake Story Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 23 July 2025
The British Grenadier Pub/bar/nightclub 1 - Major improvement necessary 22 May 2025
Hythe Convenience Store Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 24 March 2025
Shop on the Hythe Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 13 March 2025
Chicago's Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 1 - Major improvement necessary 24 January 2025
Foodbasketshop Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 6 November 2024

Questions about food hygiene in Colchester

How many food businesses does Colchester rate?

Colchester publishes food hygiene ratings for 1,642 businesses, of which 1,358 currently hold a score.

What is a typical food hygiene rating in Colchester?

90% of rated businesses in Colchester hold a 5, the top score. A 5 is therefore the norm rather than a distinction, it is worth checking, because anything below it puts a business behind most of its neighbours.

How many places in Colchester have a bad hygiene rating?

12 food businesses in Colchester hold a rating of 2 or below, including 2 rated 0 and 8 rated 1.

Who inspects food businesses in Colchester?

Environmental health officers employed by Colchester carry out the inspections, unannounced, and set the rating. The Food Standards Agency publishes the results. How often a business is visited depends on its risk, a busy restaurant is seen far more often than a shop selling wrapped sweets.

Food businesses in Colchester

A sample of rated businesses. Use search to find a specific place.

Data from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Most recent inspection published for this area: 2026-09-03. Browse all UK councils →