4

The Ivy food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · York

The Ivy 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 25 April 2025, 14 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: 2 St Helens Square, York, YO1 8QP

How it compares in York

In York, 74% of rated places manage a 5, so The Ivy sits behind roughly 1,378 nearby businesses. 17% of the borough shares its 4.

Every rated food business in York
5 out of 5 1,378 74%
4 out of 5 314 17% ← The Ivy
3 out of 5 106 6%
2 out of 5 38 2%
1 out of 5 17 1%
0 out of 5 1 <1%

A further 297 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 Ivy 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 Ivy, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen at this address 5 - Very good 18 June 2025
Avocado Envy Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 89 yards away 5 - Very good 12 March 2025
ASK Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 99 yards away 5 - Very good 15 October 2024
Blue Heaven Lounge Grill House & Bar Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 126 yards away 5 - Very good 20 October 2023
Baileys Cafe & Tea Rooms Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 158 yards away 5 - Very good 6 June 2024
Bar Hashery Takeaway/sandwich shop 217 yards away 5 - Very good 3 July 2025
Bird & Blend Retailers - other 222 yards away 5 - Very good 29 May 2026
Ambrosia Greek Street Food Mobile caterer 230 yards away 5 - Very good 23 March 2026

Questions about The Ivy

What is The Ivy's food hygiene rating?

The Ivy has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by York Council on 25 April 2025.

Is The Ivy 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 Ivy last inspected?

The Ivy was last inspected on 25 April 2025, 14 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by York Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Ivy?

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 Ivy compare to other places in York?

74% of the 1,854 rated food businesses in York hold the top rating of 5, while The Ivy holds a 4. 314 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

York Council inspects The Ivy 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 Ivy and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

York inspects and rates 2,151 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in York

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