5

The Nook food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Reading

The Nook 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 March 2026, 4 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: 17-19 Valpy Street, Reading, RG1 1AR

How it compares in Reading

That puts The Nook among the 881 places in Reading holding top marks, 65% 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 Reading
5 out of 5 881 65% ← The Nook
4 out of 5 248 18%
3 out of 5 148 11%
2 out of 5 39 3%
1 out of 5 41 3%
0 out of 5 5 <1%

A further 155 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 The Nook 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 Nook, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Baxter Storey at Ernest and Young Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 44 yards away 5 - Very good 30 August 2024
Boom Battle Bar Pub/bar/nightclub 174 yards away 5 - Very good 30 April 2026
7 Flowers & Tea Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 185 yards away 5 - Very good 7 March 2019
Anonymous Coffee Co at Thames Tower Takeaway/sandwich shop 196 yards away 5 - Very good 19 September 2025
Black Sheep Coffee Takeaway/sandwich shop 229 yards away 5 - Very good 15 October 2024
Caffe Nero Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 263 yards away 5 - Very good 4 September 2025
Boots UK Ltd at Reading Rail Station Concourse Retailers - other 270 yards away 5 - Very good 19 March 2025
Burger King at Reading Rail Station Concourse Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 270 yards away 5 - Very good 6 April 2026

Questions about The Nook

What is The Nook's food hygiene rating?

The Nook has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Reading Council on 6 March 2026.

Is The Nook 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 The Nook last inspected?

The Nook was last inspected on 6 March 2026, 4 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Reading Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Nook?

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 "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does The Nook compare to other places in Reading?

65% of the 1,362 rated food businesses in Reading hold the top rating of 5, and The Nook is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Reading Council inspects The Nook 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 Nook and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Reading inspects and rates 1,517 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Reading

The official record is held by the council: http://www.reading.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 →