The Hairy Dog food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Somerset
The Hairy Dog 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 13 June 2025, 13 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: 32-34 The Avenue, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5AZ
How it compares in Somerset
In Somerset, 87% of rated places manage a 5, so The Hairy Dog sits behind roughly 4,825 nearby businesses. 10% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 4,825 | 87% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 541 | 10% | ← The Hairy Dog | |
| 3 out of 5 | 92 | 2% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 26 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 31 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 557 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
- How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory
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 Hairy Dog 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 Hairy Dog, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poundland Retailers - other | at this address | 5 - Very good | 30 October 2012 |
| Apple Tree Tea Rooms Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 60 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 April 2026 |
| Coffee Beans Other catering premises | 60 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 July 2025 |
| Minehead Kebab Centre Takeaway/sandwich shop | 61 yards away | 5 - Very good | 2 October 2024 |
| Sugar Cafe Bar Pub/bar/nightclub | 61 yards away | 5 - Very good | 5 March 2026 |
| Nice Ices Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 75 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 March 2026 |
| Sunfield Hotel/bed & breakfast/guest house | 99 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 September 2008 |
| Dots and Slots Bingo Pub/bar/nightclub | 101 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 March 2025 |
Questions about The Hairy Dog
What is The Hairy Dog's food hygiene rating?
The Hairy Dog has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Somerset Council on 13 June 2025.
Is The Hairy Dog 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 Hairy Dog last inspected?
The Hairy Dog was last inspected on 13 June 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Somerset Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Hairy Dog?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Hairy Dog compare to other places in Somerset?
87% of the 5,515 rated food businesses in Somerset hold the top rating of 5, while The Hairy Dog holds a 4. 541 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Somerset Council inspects The Hairy Dog 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 Hairy Dog 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 Hairy Dog is one of 260 rated food businesses in Minehead. See every hygiene rating in Minehead →
Somerset inspects and rates 6,072 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Somerset →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.somerset.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 →