The Chester Bar food hygiene rating
Pub/bar/nightclub · Belfast City
The Chester Bar holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the pub and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 18 June 2026, 2 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.
Only 2% of rated food businesses in Belfast City score 0 to 2 like this, so a low rating here is the exception, not the norm. See all Belfast City ratings →
Address: 466 Antrim Road, BT15 5GE
How this rating has changed
The Chester Bar has gone backwards: it held a 3 before its inspection on 18 June 2026, and now holds a 1. A rating of 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix.
| Inspected | Rating | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 18 June 2026 | 3 1 | Worse |
The FSA publishes only a business's current rating. This history is our own record of what it has scored since we began watching.
How it compares in Belfast City
A 1 is rare: only 26 of 2,918 rated places in Belfast City score this low, about one in 112. By contrast 73% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 2,119 | 73% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 499 | 17% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 233 | 8% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 41 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 26 | 1% | ← The Chester Bar | |
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 259 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 Major improvement necessary
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 Chester Bar the inspector recorded concerns over the condition of the premises and confidence in management. 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 The Chester Bar, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador Nursing Home Caring Premises | 31 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 May 2025 |
| Angels Daycare Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 10 June 2026 |
| Asda Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 1 December 2025 |
| Alexandra Social and Recreation Club Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 July 2017 |
| Banto Pinoy Bites Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.7 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 January 2026 |
| Antrim Road Playgroup Caring Premises | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 January 2026 |
| Aunt Nellies Coffee Bar & Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 1.0 miles away | 5 - Very good | 7 April 2025 |
Questions about The Chester Bar
What is The Chester Bar's food hygiene rating?
The Chester Bar has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Belfast City Council on 18 June 2026.
Is The Chester Bar safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The pub 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 The Chester Bar last inspected?
The Chester Bar was last inspected on 18 June 2026, 2 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Belfast City Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Chester Bar?
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 "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Chester Bar compare to other places in Belfast City?
73% of the 2,918 rated food businesses in Belfast City hold the top rating of 5, while The Chester Bar holds a 1. 26 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Belfast City Council inspects The Chester Bar 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 Chester Bar 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 1 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 Belfast City, 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: Belfast City
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Belfast City inspects and rates 3,177 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Belfast City →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/buildingcontrol-environment/foodsafety/consumers-foodhygienescheme.aspx
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 →