POP Essex food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Braintree
POP Essex holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 24 January 2025, 17 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: 3 - 7 Bocking End, Braintree, Essex, CM7 9AE
How it compares in Braintree
In Braintree, 85% of rated places manage a 5, so POP Essex sits behind roughly 979 nearby businesses. 11% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 979 | 85% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 126 | 11% | ← POP Essex | |
| 3 out of 5 | 34 | 3% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 8 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 111 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Very good
- 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 POP Essex 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 POP Essex, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eking German Doner Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 85 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 September 2025 |
| Candy Land Retailers - other | 88 yards away | 5 - Very good | 28 July 2025 |
| Braintree Bagels Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 111 yards away | 5 - Very good | 6 January 2025 |
| Elena's Bistro Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 131 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 March 2024 |
| Coffee House In The Gardens Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 148 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 April 2026 |
| First Stop Centre Retailers - other | 148 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 February 2015 |
| Cross Road Care Caring Premises | 151 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 July 2019 |
| Braintree Butchers Retailers - other | 154 yards away | 5 - Very good | 23 March 2026 |
Questions about POP Essex
What is POP Essex's food hygiene rating?
POP Essex has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Braintree Council on 24 January 2025.
Is POP Essex safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was POP Essex last inspected?
POP Essex was last inspected on 24 January 2025, 17 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Braintree Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at POP Essex?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", 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 POP Essex compare to other places in Braintree?
85% of the 1,156 rated food businesses in Braintree hold the top rating of 5, while POP Essex holds a 4. 126 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Braintree Council inspects POP Essex 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 POP Essex and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Braintree inspects and rates 1,267 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Braintree →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.braintree.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 →