Jel's Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Tonbridge and Malling
Jel's Cafe holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The restaurant met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.
The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory
The rating dates from 16 July 2025, 11 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: 74 High Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1EE
How it compares in Tonbridge and Malling
In Tonbridge and Malling, 80% of rated places manage a 5, so Jel's Cafe sits behind roughly 894 nearby businesses. 6% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 771 | 80% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 123 | 13% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 56 | 6% | ← Jel's Cafe | |
| 2 out of 5 | 18 | 2% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 0 | 0% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 84 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 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 Jel's Cafe 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 Jel's Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodfella's Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | at this address | 5 - Very good | 15 September 2025 |
| Greggs Takeaway/sandwich shop | 82 yards away | 5 - Very good | 5 March 2025 |
| Humphrey Bean Pub/bar/nightclub | 82 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 January 2026 |
| KFC Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 82 yards away | 5 - Very good | 1 April 2026 |
| Iceland Foods Plc Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 89 yards away | 5 - Very good | 30 April 2024 |
| Grape Tree Retailers - other | 120 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 December 2024 |
| 65mm Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 120 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 May 2026 |
| Holland And Barrett Retailers - other | 136 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 September 2024 |
Questions about Jel's Cafe
What is Jel's Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Jel's Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Tonbridge and Malling Council on 16 July 2025.
Is Jel's Cafe safe to eat at?
A 3 means the restaurant met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.
When was Jel's Cafe last inspected?
Jel's Cafe was last inspected on 16 July 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Tonbridge and Malling Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Jel's Cafe?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", 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 Jel's Cafe compare to other places in Tonbridge and Malling?
80% of the 968 rated food businesses in Tonbridge and Malling hold the top rating of 5, while Jel's Cafe holds a 3. 56 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Tonbridge and Malling Council inspects Jel's Cafe 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 Jel's Cafe 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 →
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Jel's Cafe is one of 329 rated food businesses in Tonbridge. See every hygiene rating in Tonbridge →
Tonbridge and Malling inspects and rates 1,052 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Tonbridge and Malling →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.tmbc.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 →