White Horse food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Dover
White Horse 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 19 March 2026, 3 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: White Horse St James Street, Dover, CT16 1QF
How it compares in Dover
In Dover, 82% of rated places manage a 5, so White Horse sits behind roughly 1,005 nearby businesses. 4% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 892 | 82% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 113 | 10% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 46 | 4% | ← White Horse | |
| 2 out of 5 | 18 | 2% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 15 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 112 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 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 White Horse 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 White Horse, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubert House Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 22 yards away | 5 - Very good | 3 December 2019 |
| Castle House Guest House Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 30 yards away | 5 - Very good | 3 December 2019 |
| Churchill Guest House Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 74 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 December 2024 |
| Greggs Retailers - other | 177 yards away | 5 - Very good | 23 May 2025 |
| Cineworld Retailers - other | 208 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 April 2026 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 208 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 April 2026 |
| Burger King Takeaway/sandwich shop | 215 yards away | 5 - Very good | 21 July 2025 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 215 yards away | 5 - Very good | 21 May 2026 |
Questions about White Horse
What is White Horse's food hygiene rating?
White Horse has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Dover Council on 19 March 2026.
Is White Horse 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 White Horse last inspected?
White Horse was last inspected on 19 March 2026, 3 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dover Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at White Horse?
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 "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does White Horse compare to other places in Dover?
82% of the 1,086 rated food businesses in Dover hold the top rating of 5, while White Horse holds a 3. 46 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Dover Council inspects White Horse 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 White Horse and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Dover inspects and rates 1,198 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dover →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.dover.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 →