Whistle Stop Café food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Portsmouth
Whistle Stop Café holds a 2, which means some improvement is necessary. The inspector found problems at the restaurant that the business is required to fix.
The rating: 2 - Some improvement necessary
The rating dates from 12 May 2025, 14 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: 1 Portsmouth Road, Portsmouth, PO6 2SG
How it compares in Portsmouth
A 2 is rare: only 67 of 1,534 rated places in Portsmouth score this low, about one in 23. By contrast 64% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 978 | 64% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 310 | 20% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 124 | 8% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 67 | 4% | ← Whistle Stop Café | |
| 1 out of 5 | 53 | 3% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 269 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Improvement necessary
- 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 Whistle Stop Café the inspector recorded concerns over the condition of the premises. 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 Whistle Stop Café, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Telecom Social Club Pub/bar/nightclub | 80 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 February 2018 |
| Community Kettle CIC Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 203 yards away | 5 - Very good | 3 April 2024 |
| Arthur Dann Court Caring Premises | 336 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 February 2025 |
| Caterlink At Court Lane Infant Academy School/college/university | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 November 2025 |
| Caterlink At Court Lane Junior School School/college/university | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 May 2026 |
| Caterlink @ The Galley Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 30 April 2025 |
| Caterlink At Portsdown Primary School School/college/university | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 June 2026 |
| Caterlink At Medina Primary School School/college/university | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 3 December 2025 |
Questions about Whistle Stop Café
What is Whistle Stop Café's food hygiene rating?
Whistle Stop Café has a food hygiene rating of 2 out of 5 (some improvement necessary), given by Portsmouth Council on 12 May 2025.
Is Whistle Stop Café safe to eat at?
A 2 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The restaurant 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 Whistle Stop Café last inspected?
Whistle Stop Café was last inspected on 12 May 2025, 14 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Portsmouth Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Whistle Stop Café?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "improvement necessary", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Whistle Stop Café compare to other places in Portsmouth?
64% of the 1,534 rated food businesses in Portsmouth hold the top rating of 5, while Whistle Stop Café holds a 2. 67 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Portsmouth Council inspects Whistle Stop Café 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 Whistle Stop Café 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 2 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 Portsmouth, 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: Portsmouth
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Portsmouth inspects and rates 1,803 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Portsmouth →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.portsmouth.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 →