5

The Escape Lounge food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Northumberland

The Escape Lounge 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 7 January 2025, 18 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: 1a Laburnum Terrace, Ashington, Northumberland, NE63 0XX

How it compares in Northumberland

That puts The Escape Lounge among the 2,779 places in Northumberland holding top marks, 90% 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 Northumberland
5 out of 5 2,779 90% ← The Escape Lounge
4 out of 5 214 7%
3 out of 5 67 2%
2 out of 5 7 <1%
1 out of 5 8 <1%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

A further 397 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 Escape Lounge 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 Escape Lounge, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Expresso Amusements Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 39 yards away 5 - Very good 3 March 2026
Crossroads Coffee Shop Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 65 yards away 5 - Very good 10 June 2025
Admiral Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 109 yards away 5 - Very good 13 October 2022
Dixy Chicken Takeaway/sandwich shop 134 yards away 5 - Very good 16 June 2026
Bubbles Wine Bar Ltd Pub/bar/nightclub 198 yards away 5 - Very good 15 June 2018
Fresh Smash / Hungry Shack Takeaway/sandwich shop 198 yards away 5 - Very good 15 October 2025
Colliers Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 221 yards away 5 - Very good 3 February 2025
Ashington Masonic Hall Pub/bar/nightclub 230 yards away 5 - Very good 9 March 2026

Questions about The Escape Lounge

What is The Escape Lounge's food hygiene rating?

The Escape Lounge has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Northumberland Council on 7 January 2025.

Is The Escape Lounge 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 Escape Lounge last inspected?

The Escape Lounge was last inspected on 7 January 2025, 18 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Northumberland Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Escape Lounge?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "very good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does The Escape Lounge compare to other places in Northumberland?

90% of the 3,077 rated food businesses in Northumberland hold the top rating of 5, and The Escape Lounge is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Northumberland Council inspects The Escape Lounge 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 Escape Lounge 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 Escape Lounge is one of 217 rated food businesses in Ashington. See every hygiene rating in Ashington

Northumberland inspects and rates 3,474 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Northumberland

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