5

Pizza Castle food hygiene rating

Takeaway/sandwich shop · Sunderland

Pizza Castle holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the takeaway met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 26 March 2025, 15 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: 69, Newbottle Street, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 4AR

How it compares in Sunderland

That puts Pizza Castle among the 1,634 places in Sunderland holding top marks, 84% 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 Sunderland
5 out of 5 1,634 84% ← Pizza Castle
4 out of 5 193 10%
3 out of 5 74 4%
2 out of 5 20 1%
1 out of 5 23 1%
0 out of 5 2 <1%

A further 365 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 Pizza Castle 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 Pizza Castle, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Domino's Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop at this address 5 - Very good 11 October 2024
Costa Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 5 yards away 5 - Very good 22 November 2024
Food Weighhouse Retailers - other 40 yards away 5 - Very good 19 February 2018
B & M Retail Ltd Retailers - other 67 yards away 5 - Very good 2 April 2019
Heron Foods Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 70 yards away 5 - Very good 11 March 2020
Greggs Retailers - other 142 yards away 5 - Very good 14 January 2025
Dicksons Pork Shops Retailers - other 156 yards away 5 - Very good 14 January 2025
Home Bargains Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets 319 yards away 5 - Very good 24 August 2025

Questions about Pizza Castle

What is Pizza Castle's food hygiene rating?

Pizza Castle has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Sunderland Council on 26 March 2025.

Is Pizza Castle 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 takeaway to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was Pizza Castle last inspected?

Pizza Castle was last inspected on 26 March 2025, 15 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Sunderland Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at Pizza Castle?

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

How does Pizza Castle compare to other places in Sunderland?

84% of the 1,946 rated food businesses in Sunderland hold the top rating of 5, and Pizza Castle is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Sunderland Council inspects Pizza Castle 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 Pizza Castle 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

Pizza Castle is one of 276 rated food businesses in Houghton-le-Spring. See every hygiene rating in Houghton-le-Spring

Sunderland inspects and rates 2,311 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Sunderland

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