5

The Canteen food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · East Suffolk

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

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 3 October 2024, 21 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.

Address: 5 Field Stile Road, Southwold, Suffolk, IP18 6LA

How it compares in East Suffolk

That puts The Canteen among the 1,994 places in East Suffolk holding top marks, 86% 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 East Suffolk
5 out of 5 1,994 86% ← The Canteen
4 out of 5 212 9%
3 out of 5 71 3%
2 out of 5 22 1%
1 out of 5 17 1%
0 out of 5 1 <1%

A further 202 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 Canteen 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 Canteen, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Adnams Cellar & Kitchen Store Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 127 yards away 5 - Very good 22 April 2026
Southwold Fish And Chip Company Ltd Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 148 yards away 5 - Very good 7 October 2025
Bloom Southwold Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 171 yards away 5 - Very good 7 October 2025
Box Southwold Retailers - other 176 yards away 5 - Very good 28 March 2023
Jakery Bakery Other catering premises 183 yards away 5 - Very good 26 May 2021
Station Road Express Retailers - other 212 yards away Awaiting inspection
Easton Retailers - other 219 yards away 5 - Very good 18 February 2026
Loaded-Southwold Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 220 yards away 5 - Very good 11 October 2024

Questions about The Canteen

What is The Canteen's food hygiene rating?

The Canteen has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by East Suffolk Council on 3 October 2024.

Is The Canteen 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 restaurant to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Canteen last inspected?

The Canteen was last inspected on 3 October 2024, 21 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by East Suffolk Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Canteen?

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 "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does The Canteen compare to other places in East Suffolk?

86% of the 2,317 rated food businesses in East Suffolk hold the top rating of 5, and The Canteen is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

East Suffolk Council inspects The Canteen 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 Canteen and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

The Canteen is one of 88 rated food businesses in Southwold. See every hygiene rating in Southwold

East Suffolk inspects and rates 2,519 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in East Suffolk

The official record is held by the council: http://www.eastsuffolk.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 →