Spice Merchants food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Portsmouth
Spice Merchants 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 6 January 2025, 18 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.
Address: 44 Osborne Road, Southsea, PO5 3LT
How it compares in Portsmouth
In Portsmouth, 64% of rated places manage a 5, so Spice Merchants sits behind roughly 1,288 nearby businesses. 8% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 978 | 64% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 310 | 20% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 124 | 8% | ← Spice Merchants | |
| 2 out of 5 | 67 | 4% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 53 | 3% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 269 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 Generally satisfactory
- 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 Spice Merchants 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 Spice Merchants, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Arms Pub/bar/nightclub | 93 yards away | 5 - Very good | 28 February 2017 |
| André's Food Bar Takeaway/sandwich shop | 110 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 August 2025 |
| Buckwells Of Southsea Retailers - other | 110 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 March 2026 |
| Autumn Vale Rest Home Caring Premises | 288 yards away | 5 - Very good | 17 October 2025 |
| Boots Retailers - other | 319 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 February 2018 |
| Agora Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 346 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 July 2025 |
| Bobbys Lounge Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 365 yards away | 5 - Very good | 5 March 2025 |
| Arty Potz Other catering premises | 440 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 March 2019 |
Questions about Spice Merchants
What is Spice Merchants's food hygiene rating?
Spice Merchants has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Portsmouth Council on 6 January 2025.
Is Spice Merchants 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 Spice Merchants last inspected?
Spice Merchants was last inspected on 6 January 2025, 18 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Portsmouth Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Spice Merchants?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Spice Merchants compare to other places in Portsmouth?
64% of the 1,534 rated food businesses in Portsmouth hold the top rating of 5, while Spice Merchants holds a 3. 124 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Portsmouth Council inspects Spice Merchants 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 Spice Merchants 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
Spice Merchants is one of 541 rated food businesses in Southsea. See every hygiene rating in Southsea →
Portsmouth inspects and rates 1,803 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Portsmouth →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.portsmouth.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 →