May?s Sweet Bites food hygiene rating
Takeaway/sandwich shop · Westminster
May?s Sweet Bites holds a 1: major improvement is necessary. The inspector found significant problems at the takeaway and the business is legally required to address them.
The rating: 1 - Major improvement necessary
The rating dates from 7 January 2026, 6 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: Basement Part and Ground Floor East 4 Lisle Street, London, WC2H 7BG
How it compares in Westminster
A 1 is rare: only 84 of 5,235 rated places in Westminster score this low, about one in 62. By contrast 70% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 3,663 | 70% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 848 | 16% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 393 | 8% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 233 | 4% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 84 | 2% | ← May?s Sweet Bites | |
| 0 out of 5 | 14 | <1% |
A further 446 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 Major improvement necessary
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 May?s Sweet Bites the inspector recorded concerns over confidence in management. 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 May?s Sweet Bites, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Leicester Square Rooftop Bar and Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 82 yards away | 5 - Very good | 9 January 2026 |
| 404 Club Not Found Pub/bar/nightclub | 106 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 September 2025 |
| 27 Old Compton Street Pasta Bar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 222 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 July 2025 |
| 40 Greek Street Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 258 yards away | 5 - Very good | 22 March 2025 |
| 76 Dean Street Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 345 yards away | 5 - Very good | 22 April 2025 |
| 20 Air cafe Other catering premises | 394 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 April 2025 |
| 3 Greek Street Retailers - other | 438 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 June 2022 |
| 1 Warwick Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 439 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 April 2025 |
Questions about May?s Sweet Bites
What is May?s Sweet Bites's food hygiene rating?
May?s Sweet Bites has a food hygiene rating of 1 out of 5 (major improvement necessary), given by Westminster Council on 7 January 2026.
Is May?s Sweet Bites safe to eat at?
A 1 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The takeaway 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 May?s Sweet Bites last inspected?
May?s Sweet Bites was last inspected on 7 January 2026, 6 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Westminster Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at May?s Sweet Bites?
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 "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does May?s Sweet Bites compare to other places in Westminster?
70% of the 5,235 rated food businesses in Westminster hold the top rating of 5, while May?s Sweet Bites holds a 1. 84 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Westminster Council inspects May?s Sweet Bites 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 May?s Sweet Bites 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 1 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 Westminster, 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: Westminster
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Westminster inspects and rates 5,681 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Westminster →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.westminster.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 →