Food hygiene ratings in Darlington

Darlington inspects and rates 915 food businesses, every restaurant, takeaway, pub, school kitchen, care home and shop in the area that handles food. 836 of them currently hold a published rating; the remaining 79 are awaiting their first inspection or are exempt because they handle so little food there is nothing to score.

Hygiene standards in Darlington

Standards here are high: 90% of rated businesses in Darlington hold the top score of 5, and 96% hold a 4 or better. 14 businesses, 2% of those rated, score 2 or below, meaning an inspector found problems they are required to fix.

How every rated business in Darlington scores
5 out of 5 755 90%
4 out of 5 48 6%
3 out of 5 19 2%
2 out of 5 7 1%
1 out of 5 6 1%
0 out of 5 1 <1%

Towns in Darlington

Food hygiene ratings for each town Darlington inspects.

Recently inspected in Darlington

The most recent inspections published by Darlington, newest first.

BusinessTypeRatingInspected
Lexington Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 5 - Very good 9 July 2026
Betty's Bakes Other catering premises 5 - Very good 8 July 2026
Cookie Monsters Retailers - other 5 - Very good 8 July 2026
Heathfield Primary School School/college/university 5 - Very good 3 July 2026
Hudson Catering Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 5 - Very good 3 July 2026
Foresters Arms Pub/bar/nightclub 5 - Very good 2 July 2026
Hoptimist Pub/bar/nightclub 5 - Very good 29 June 2026
Dominos Darlington Takeaway/sandwich shop 5 - Very good 22 June 2026
Dubai Store Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 5 - Very good 22 June 2026
Dr Inks Darlington Pub/bar/nightclub 5 - Very good 19 June 2026
Play Hut And Kids Club Caring Premises 5 - Very good 18 June 2026
Poison Lounge Pub/bar/nightclub 5 - Very good 18 June 2026

Lowest-rated places in Darlington

The lowest-rated food businesses in Darlington are listed below. 1 holds a 0, urgent improvement necessary, the lowest score the scheme gives, and 6 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
The Tap On Bondgate Pub/bar/nightclub 0 - Urgent improvement necessary 12 November 2025
The Quays Pub/bar/nightclub 1 - Major improvement necessary 13 May 2026
Geneva Express Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 30 March 2026
Ribbon Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 16 October 2025
Croft W.M.C. Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 17 January 2025
Pick And Pay Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 19 June 2024
Pick And Pay Retailers - other 1 - Major improvement necessary 5 June 2024

Questions about food hygiene in Darlington

How many food businesses does Darlington rate?

Darlington publishes food hygiene ratings for 915 businesses, of which 836 currently hold a score.

What is a typical food hygiene rating in Darlington?

90% of rated businesses in Darlington 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 Darlington have a bad hygiene rating?

14 food businesses in Darlington hold a rating of 2 or below, including 1 rated 0 and 6 rated 1.

Who inspects food businesses in Darlington?

Environmental health officers employed by Darlington 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 Darlington

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: 2026-07-09. Browse all UK councils →