Whitecliff Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Dover
Whitecliff 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 23 June 2025, 12 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: 8 Park Place, Dover, CT16 1DF
How it compares in Dover
In Dover, 82% of rated places manage a 5, so Whitecliff Cafe sits behind roughly 1,005 nearby businesses. 4% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 892 | 82% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 113 | 10% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 46 | 4% | ← Whitecliff Cafe | |
| 2 out of 5 | 18 | 2% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 15 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 112 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 Whitecliff 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 Whitecliff Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcutta Port Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 122 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 July 2025 |
| Biggin Fish and Chips Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 202 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 December 2025 |
| Dover Big Local CIC Caring Premises | 207 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 December 2025 |
| Dover Foodbank Retailers - other | 207 yards away | 5 - Very good | 27 October 2023 |
| Dover Pantry Retailers - other | 207 yards away | 5 - Very good | 14 July 2021 |
| Dolphin Kebab Takeaway/sandwich shop | 227 yards away | 5 - Very good | 9 April 2024 |
| Fairy Dreams Retailers - other | 229 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 July 2024 |
| Dover College School/college/university | 229 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 June 2026 |
Questions about Whitecliff Cafe
What is Whitecliff Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Whitecliff Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Dover Council on 23 June 2025.
Is Whitecliff 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 Whitecliff Cafe last inspected?
Whitecliff Cafe was last inspected on 23 June 2025, 12 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dover Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Whitecliff Cafe?
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 Whitecliff Cafe compare to other places in Dover?
82% of the 1,086 rated food businesses in Dover hold the top rating of 5, while Whitecliff Cafe holds a 3. 46 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Dover Council inspects Whitecliff 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 Whitecliff Cafe and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Dover inspects and rates 1,198 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dover →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.dover.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 →