Red Lion Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Camden
Red Lion Cafe holds a 2, which means some improvement is necessary. The inspector found problems at the restaurant that the business is required to fix.
The rating: 2 - Some improvement necessary
The rating dates from 3 April 2025, 15 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: Red Lion Square Gardens, Red Lion Square, WC1R 4QH
How it compares in Camden
A 2 is rare: only 127 of 3,373 rated places in Camden score this low, about one in 27. By contrast 59% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,993 | 59% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 654 | 19% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 457 | 14% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 127 | 4% | ← Red Lion Cafe | |
| 1 out of 5 | 90 | 3% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 52 | 2% |
A further 924 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Improvement necessary
- How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory
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 Red Lion Cafe the inspector recorded concerns over the condition of the premises. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Red Lion Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 Holborn Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 358 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 January 2024 |
| Abeno Okonomi-yaki Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 30 April 2026 |
| 1a Children's Centre Caring Premises | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 8 November 2024 |
| 180 Pizza Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 16 June 2022 |
| 21 Soho Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 27 September 2024 |
| 3 Greek Street Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 15 June 2022 |
| 3rd Generation Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 4 February 2022 |
| 40 Greek Street Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 March 2025 |
Questions about Red Lion Cafe
What is Red Lion Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Red Lion Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 2 out of 5 (some improvement necessary), given by Camden Council on 3 April 2025.
Is Red Lion Cafe safe to eat at?
A 2 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The restaurant is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Red Lion Cafe last inspected?
Red Lion Cafe was last inspected on 3 April 2025, 15 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Camden Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Red Lion Cafe?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "improvement necessary", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Red Lion Cafe compare to other places in Camden?
59% of the 3,373 rated food businesses in Camden hold the top rating of 5, while Red Lion Cafe holds a 2. 127 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Camden Council inspects Red Lion Cafe 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 Red Lion Cafe and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Is this your business?
A rating of 2 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Camden, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Camden
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Camden inspects and rates 4,297 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Camden →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.camden.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 →