The Crafty Elk food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Lisburn and Castlereagh City
The Crafty Elk holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 23 September 2025, 9 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: 793 Upper Newtownards Road, Church Quarter, Dundonald, BT16 2RE
How it compares in Lisburn and Castlereagh City
In Lisburn and Castlereagh City, 92% of rated places manage a 5, so The Crafty Elk sits behind roughly 837 nearby businesses. 7% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 837 | 92% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 64 | 7% | ← The Crafty Elk | |
| 3 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 3 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 1 | <1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 87 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 Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety 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 The Crafty Elk 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 Crafty Elk, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 226 yards away | 5 - Very good | 22 January 2025 |
| Fletcher Meats Retailers - other | 303 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 January 2026 |
| Cafe Nosh Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 368 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 April 2024 |
| Cordner's Spar Comber Road Retailers - other | 415 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 December 2025 |
| Dundonald Foodbank Other catering premises | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 14 September 2022 |
| Funky Monkeys Soft Play Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 2 December 2025 |
| Domino's Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 23 October 2024 |
| Dundonald Primary School School/college/university | 0.5 miles away | 5 - Very good | 22 May 2025 |
Questions about The Crafty Elk
What is The Crafty Elk's food hygiene rating?
The Crafty Elk has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council on 23 September 2025.
Is The Crafty Elk safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was The Crafty Elk last inspected?
The Crafty Elk was last inspected on 23 September 2025, 9 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Crafty Elk?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "very good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Crafty Elk compare to other places in Lisburn and Castlereagh City?
92% of the 914 rated food businesses in Lisburn and Castlereagh City hold the top rating of 5, while The Crafty Elk holds a 4. 64 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council inspects The Crafty Elk 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 Crafty Elk 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 Crafty Elk is one of 231 rated food businesses in Down. See every hygiene rating in Down →
Lisburn and Castlereagh City inspects and rates 1,001 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Lisburn and Castlereagh City →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.lisburncastlereagh.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 →