The Earlybird food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Plymouth City
The Earlybird holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The restaurant 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 29 May 2025, 13 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: 51 Mutley Plain, Plymouth, PL4 6JH
How it compares in Plymouth City
In Plymouth City, 78% of rated places manage a 5, so The Earlybird sits behind roughly 1,468 nearby businesses. 6% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,270 | 78% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 198 | 12% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 97 | 6% | ← The Earlybird | |
| 2 out of 5 | 20 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 34 | 2% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 11 | 1% |
A further 153 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 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 The Earlybird 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 Earlybird, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Box Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 135 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 April 2026 |
| Bargain Booze Retailers - other | 166 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 April 2026 |
| Aldi Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 365 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 August 2025 |
| Ardent Residential Home Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 10 December 2024 |
| Baxterstorey 5037 BBC Plymouth Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 August 2024 |
| Bethany House Care home ( Plymouth ) LTD Caring Premises | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 19 March 2026 |
| Babbage Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 December 2025 |
| Bobtails Pre-school Caring Premises | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 29 July 2025 |
Questions about The Earlybird
What is The Earlybird's food hygiene rating?
The Earlybird has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Plymouth City Council on 29 May 2025.
Is The Earlybird safe to eat at?
A 3 means the restaurant 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 The Earlybird last inspected?
The Earlybird was last inspected on 29 May 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Plymouth City Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Earlybird?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", 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 The Earlybird compare to other places in Plymouth City?
78% of the 1,630 rated food businesses in Plymouth City hold the top rating of 5, while The Earlybird holds a 3. 97 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Plymouth City Council inspects The Earlybird 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 Earlybird and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Plymouth City inspects and rates 1,783 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Plymouth City →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.plymouth.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 →