Need Street Food At The Merchant House food hygiene rating
Other catering premises · Portsmouth
Need Street Food At The Merchant House holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the business are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 4 September 2025, 10 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: 9 - 11 Highland Road, Southsea, PO4 9DA
How it compares in Portsmouth
In Portsmouth, 64% of rated places manage a 5, so Need Street Food At The Merchant House sits behind roughly 978 nearby businesses. 20% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 978 | 64% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 310 | 20% | ← Need Street Food At The Merchant House | |
| 3 out of 5 | 124 | 8% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 67 | 4% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 53 | 3% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 269 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Very good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Good
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 Need Street Food At The Merchant House 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 Need Street Food At The Merchant House, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe Parisian Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 43 yards away | 5 - Very good | 2 September 2025 |
| Caterlink At Craneswater Junior School School/college/university | 253 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 February 2026 |
| Bluebell Nursing Home Caring Premises | 369 yards away | 5 - Very good | 2 March 2026 |
| Broadway Coffee Roasters Ltd Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 June 2025 |
| Canoe Lake Nursery Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 18 September 2025 |
| Alton Manor Care Home Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 17 March 2026 |
| Casa De Castro Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 14 August 2024 |
| Canoe Lake Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 January 2026 |
Questions about Need Street Food At The Merchant House
What is Need Street Food At The Merchant House's food hygiene rating?
Need Street Food At The Merchant House has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Portsmouth Council on 4 September 2025.
Is Need Street Food At The Merchant House safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this business to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was Need Street Food At The Merchant House last inspected?
Need Street Food At The Merchant House was last inspected on 4 September 2025, 10 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Portsmouth Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Need Street Food At The Merchant House?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Need Street Food At The Merchant House compare to other places in Portsmouth?
64% of the 1,534 rated food businesses in Portsmouth hold the top rating of 5, while Need Street Food At The Merchant House holds a 4. 310 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Portsmouth Council inspects Need Street Food At The Merchant House 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 Need Street Food At The Merchant House and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Need Street Food At The Merchant House is one of 541 rated food businesses in Southsea. See every hygiene rating in Southsea →
Portsmouth inspects and rates 1,803 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Portsmouth →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.portsmouth.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 →