The Fossil Thief food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Portsmouth
The Fossil Thief 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 12 May 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.
Address: Lock Keepers Cottage, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, PO1 3FH
How it compares in Portsmouth
In Portsmouth, 64% of rated places manage a 5, so The Fossil Thief sits behind roughly 1,288 nearby businesses. 8% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 978 | 64% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 310 | 20% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 124 | 8% | ← The Fossil Thief | |
| 2 out of 5 | 67 | 4% | ||
| 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 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 The Fossil Thief 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 Fossil Thief, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banana Tree Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 58 yards away | 5 - Very good | 6 May 2026 |
| All Bar One Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 91 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 April 2026 |
| Boots Retailers - other | 158 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 May 2018 |
| Brasserie Blanc Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 159 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 January 2026 |
| Bella Italia Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 170 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 May 2025 |
| Baked By Sweet Tooth Takeaway/sandwich shop | 224 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 June 2026 |
| Baffled Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 391 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 January 2025 |
| Britannia Fish Bar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 399 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 April 2018 |
Questions about The Fossil Thief
What is The Fossil Thief's food hygiene rating?
The Fossil Thief has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Portsmouth Council on 12 May 2026.
Is The Fossil Thief 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 The Fossil Thief last inspected?
The Fossil Thief was last inspected on 12 May 2026, 2 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 The Fossil Thief?
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 The Fossil Thief compare to other places in Portsmouth?
64% of the 1,534 rated food businesses in Portsmouth hold the top rating of 5, while The Fossil Thief holds a 3. 124 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Portsmouth Council inspects The Fossil Thief 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 Fossil Thief 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 Fossil Thief is one of 48 rated food businesses in Gunwharf Quays. See every hygiene rating in Gunwharf Quays →
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 →