5

The Elephant & Castle food hygiene rating

Pub/bar/nightclub · Bolton

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

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 22 May 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: 4-10 Deansgate, Bolton, BL1 1BR

How it compares in Bolton

That puts The Elephant & Castle among the 1,220 places in Bolton holding top marks, 55% 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 Bolton
5 out of 5 1,220 55% ← The Elephant & Castle
4 out of 5 476 22%
3 out of 5 315 14%
2 out of 5 76 3%
1 out of 5 103 5%
0 out of 5 10 <1%

A further 186 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 Elephant & 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 The Elephant & Castle, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
BeautyHeist Retailers - other 93 yards away 5 - Very good 22 June 2023
Bolton Socialist Club Pub/bar/nightclub 205 yards away 5 - Very good 7 October 2025
Amazonia Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 209 yards away 5 - Very good 11 March 2025
Bolton Bae Retailers - other 235 yards away 5 - Very good 23 May 2025
Balmoral Hotel Pub/bar/nightclub 322 yards away 5 - Very good 18 September 2025
American Sweet & Vapes Retailers - other 338 yards away 5 - Very good 25 September 2025
Admiral Casino Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 353 yards away 5 - Very good 25 September 2025
AD Bodytech Health & Nutrition Ltd Retailers - other 386 yards away 5 - Very good 19 September 2025

Questions about The Elephant & Castle

What is The Elephant & Castle's food hygiene rating?

The Elephant & Castle has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by Bolton Council on 22 May 2025.

Is The Elephant & 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 pub to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was The Elephant & Castle last inspected?

The Elephant & Castle was last inspected on 22 May 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Bolton Council rather than by the business.

What did the inspector find at The Elephant & 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 "very good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does The Elephant & Castle compare to other places in Bolton?

55% of the 2,200 rated food businesses in Bolton hold the top rating of 5, and The Elephant & Castle is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

Bolton Council inspects The Elephant & 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 The Elephant & Castle and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Bolton inspects and rates 2,386 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Bolton

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