El-Vaquero food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Barnet
El-Vaquero 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 18 July 2025, 11 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: 2 Hale Lane London, NW7 3NX
How it compares in Barnet
That puts El-Vaquero among the 1,423 places in Barnet holding top marks, 60% 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.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,423 | 60% | ← El-Vaquero | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 574 | 24% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 226 | 10% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 84 | 4% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 44 | 2% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 3 | <1% |
A further 513 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 Good
- How well they manage food safety Very 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 El-Vaquero 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 El-Vaquero, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluebelles Of Portobello Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 254 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 May 2025 |
| BAW Pan Asian Cafe / Chachaji Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 365 yards away | 5 - Very good | 6 May 2026 |
| Bank Food And Drink Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 368 yards away | 5 - Very good | 11 April 2024 |
| Annunciation RC Junior School School/college/university | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 May 2025 |
| Asda Express Observatory PFS Retailers - other | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 February 2023 |
| BadBoy|DopeB|ChiT|Doner|SBowl|HailC|MacJ|YV|MCI Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 January 2026 |
| BeCarma Retailers - other | 0.6 miles away | 5 - Very good | 28 September 2022 |
| Barnet Food Share Coop Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 25 October 2019 |
Questions about El-Vaquero
What is El-Vaquero's food hygiene rating?
El-Vaquero has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Barnet Council on 18 July 2025.
Is El-Vaquero 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 El-Vaquero last inspected?
El-Vaquero was last inspected on 18 July 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Barnet Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at El-Vaquero?
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 El-Vaquero compare to other places in Barnet?
60% of the 2,354 rated food businesses in Barnet hold the top rating of 5, and El-Vaquero is one of them.
Who decides the rating?
Barnet Council inspects El-Vaquero 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 El-Vaquero and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Barnet inspects and rates 2,867 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Barnet →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.barnet.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 →