Fat Hippo Durham food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Durham
Fat Hippo Durham holds a 4, meaning hygiene standards at the restaurant are good. It is a solid result, the inspector found nothing serious, though a 5 was just out of reach.
The rating: 4 - Good
The rating dates from 1 April 2026, 3 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: 36 Saddler Street, Durham, DH1 3NU
How it compares in Durham
In Durham, 75% of rated places manage a 5, so Fat Hippo Durham sits behind roughly 3,086 nearby businesses. 17% of the borough shares its 4.
| 5 out of 5 | 3,086 | 75% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 684 | 17% | ← Fat Hippo Durham | |
| 3 out of 5 | 286 | 7% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 50 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 25 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 512 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Good
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- How well they manage food safety Very good
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 Fat Hippo Durham 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 Fat Hippo Durham, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Eyes Durham Limited Pub/bar/nightclub | 17 yards away | 5 - Very good | 21 July 2025 |
| Chapters of Durham Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 37 yards away | 5 - Very good | 25 February 2025 |
| Durham Distillery Retailers - other | 69 yards away | 5 - Very good | 10 October 2023 |
| Anderson's Greengrocers Retailers - other | 75 yards away | 5 - Very good | 5 June 2024 |
| Cafedral Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 77 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 June 2026 |
| Bells Fish & Chips Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 104 yards away | 5 - Very good | 23 February 2026 |
| Cooplands Retailers - other | 164 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 May 2026 |
| Coviello Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 182 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 January 2025 |
Questions about Fat Hippo Durham
What is Fat Hippo Durham's food hygiene rating?
Fat Hippo Durham has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Durham Council on 1 April 2026.
Is Fat Hippo Durham safe to eat at?
The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 4 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be good, the top end of the scale.
When was Fat Hippo Durham last inspected?
Fat Hippo Durham was last inspected on 1 April 2026, 3 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Durham Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Fat Hippo Durham?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "very good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Fat Hippo Durham compare to other places in Durham?
75% of the 4,133 rated food businesses in Durham hold the top rating of 5, while Fat Hippo Durham holds a 4. 684 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Durham Council inspects Fat Hippo Durham 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 Fat Hippo Durham and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Durham inspects and rates 4,645 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Durham →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.durham.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 →