3

Charles Dickens food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Worthing

Charles Dickens holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The pub met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.

The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory

The rating dates from 9 October 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: Charles Dickens 54 - 56 Heene Road, Worthing, BN11 3RG

How it compares in Worthing

In Worthing, 81% of rated places manage a 5, so Charles Dickens sits behind roughly 878 nearby businesses. 2% of the borough shares its 3.

Every rated food business in Worthing
5 out of 5 756 81%
4 out of 5 122 13%
3 out of 5 23 2% ← Charles Dickens
2 out of 5 19 2%
1 out of 5 13 1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 88 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 Charles Dickens 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 Charles Dickens, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Caterplus @ McCarthy & Stone - Neptune House Caring Premises 80 yards away 5 - Very good 17 October 2024
Ami Bistro Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 107 yards away 5 - Very good 11 August 2022
Bauji Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 257 yards away 5 - Very good 14 May 2026
Blend Coffee Co Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 269 yards away 5 - Very good 5 February 2025
Abbeyfield Worthing Society Caring Premises 387 yards away 5 - Very good 4 January 2023
Baked: cake with a cause CIC Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 387 yards away 5 - Very good 12 July 2022
Cafe One 22 Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 394 yards away 5 - Very good 11 January 2023
A&L Shawarma Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 404 yards away 5 - Very good 8 January 2026

Questions about Charles Dickens

What is Charles Dickens's food hygiene rating?

Charles Dickens has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Worthing Council on 9 October 2025.

Is Charles Dickens safe to eat at?

A 3 means the pub met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.

When was Charles Dickens last inspected?

Charles Dickens was last inspected on 9 October 2025, 9 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Worthing Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Charles Dickens?

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

How does Charles Dickens compare to other places in Worthing?

81% of the 933 rated food businesses in Worthing hold the top rating of 5, while Charles Dickens holds a 3. 23 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Worthing Council inspects Charles Dickens 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 Charles Dickens and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Worthing inspects and rates 1,021 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Worthing

The official record is held by the council: http://www.adur-worthing.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 →