5

Penny Lane food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Folkestone and Hythe

Penny Lane 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 6 November 2025, 8 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: 9-17 Sandgate Road, Folkestone, CT20 1SB

How it compares in Folkestone and Hythe

That puts Penny Lane among the 958 places in Folkestone and Hythe holding top marks, 84% 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 Folkestone and Hythe
5 out of 5 958 84% ← Penny Lane
4 out of 5 111 10%
3 out of 5 62 5%
2 out of 5 5 <1%
1 out of 5 4 <1%
0 out of 5 0 0%

A further 144 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 Penny Lane 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 Penny Lane, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
East Kent Arms Pub/bar/nightclub 25 yards away 5 - Very good 21 February 2024
Euro Market Retailers - other 82 yards away 5 - Very good 5 March 2020
Boots Retailers - other 95 yards away 5 - Very good 8 March 2023
Aya Supermarket Retailers - other 109 yards away 5 - Very good 16 February 2024
Django's Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 115 yards away 5 - Very good 16 November 2023
County Fayre Retailers - other 141 yards away 5 - Very good 19 September 2025
Costa Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 142 yards away 5 - Very good 25 November 2025
Aspendos Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 199 yards away 5 - Very good 15 September 2022

Questions about Penny Lane

What is Penny Lane's food hygiene rating?

Penny Lane has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Folkestone and Hythe Council on 6 November 2025.

Is Penny Lane 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 Penny Lane last inspected?

Penny Lane was last inspected on 6 November 2025, 8 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Folkestone and Hythe Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Penny Lane?

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 Penny Lane compare to other places in Folkestone and Hythe?

84% of the 1,140 rated food businesses in Folkestone and Hythe hold the top rating of 5, and Penny Lane is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Folkestone and Hythe Council inspects Penny Lane 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 Penny Lane and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Penny Lane is one of 519 rated food businesses in Folkestone. See every hygiene rating in Folkestone

Folkestone and Hythe inspects and rates 1,284 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Folkestone and Hythe

The official record is held by the council: http://www.folkestone-hythe.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 →