5

The Bowling Green food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Exeter City

The Bowling Green holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the pub met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 26 September 2025, 9 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.

Address: 29-30 Blackboy Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 6ST

How it compares in Exeter City

That puts The Bowling Green among the 870 places in Exeter City holding top marks, 87% of everywhere the council rates. A 5 is the norm here rather than the exception, so it is the rating to expect, not to be impressed by.

Every rated food business in Exeter City
5 out of 5 870 87% ← The Bowling Green
4 out of 5 88 9%
3 out of 5 30 3%
2 out of 5 4 <1%
1 out of 5 7 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 111 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At The Bowling Green none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.

Food hygiene ratings nearby

The closest food businesses to The Bowling Green, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Central & Southern Homes Ltd Caring Premises 359 yards away 5 - Very good 13 February 2025
Boneyard Video Arcade Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 26 January 2024
168 Oriental Retailers - other 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 17 March 2025
Barnova Ltd Mobile caterer 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 12 June 2019
Chicken point exeter Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 15 July 2025
Ari's Healthy Life Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 25 October 2024
Co-op Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 0.3 miles away 5 - Very good 22 October 2025
BHL Oriental Food Store Retailers - other 0.4 miles away 5 - Very good 7 March 2025

Questions about The Bowling Green

What is The Bowling Green's food hygiene rating?

The Bowling Green has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Exeter City Council on 26 September 2025.

Is The Bowling Green safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 5 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this pub to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Bowling Green last inspected?

The Bowling Green was last inspected on 26 September 2025, 9 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Exeter City Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Bowling Green?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "very good", and confidence in the management of food safety "very good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does The Bowling Green compare to other places in Exeter City?

87% of the 999 rated food businesses in Exeter City hold the top rating of 5, and The Bowling Green is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Exeter City Council inspects The Bowling Green and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.

Tell me when this changes

The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch The Bowling Green and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Exeter City inspects and rates 1,110 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Exeter City

The official record is held by the council: http://www.exeter.gov.uk

Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →