4

Smugglers Records food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Dover

Smugglers Records 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 17 March 2022, more than 4 years ago. A lot can change in a kitchen in that time, and a rating this old says more about the business then than now. Councils prioritise re-inspecting higher-risk premises, so a long gap often means the business is considered low-risk.

Address: 9 King Street, Deal, CT14 6HU

How it compares in Dover

In Dover, 82% of rated places manage a 5, so Smugglers Records sits behind roughly 892 nearby businesses. 10% of the borough shares its 4.

Every rated food business in Dover
5 out of 5 892 82%
4 out of 5 113 10% ← Smugglers Records
3 out of 5 46 4%
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

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 Smugglers Records 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 Smugglers Records, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Margheritas Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 13 yards away 5 - Very good 4 March 2025
Peckish Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 28 yards away 5 - Very good 11 March 2026
Jenkins & Son Fishmongers Ltd Retailers - other 71 yards away 5 - Very good 18 July 2024
Climpson & Sons Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 73 yards away 5 - Very good 28 May 2026
Filberts Retailers - other 73 yards away 5 - Very good 6 June 2025
Deal Direct Fish Mobile caterer 77 yards away 5 - Very good 7 September 2018
Deal Beach Parlour Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 80 yards away 5 - Very good 25 April 2025
Dine India Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 96 yards away 5 - Very good 8 July 2024

Questions about Smugglers Records

What is Smugglers Records's food hygiene rating?

Smugglers Records has a food hygiene rating of 4 out of 5 (good), given by Dover Council on 17 March 2022.

Is Smugglers Records 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 Smugglers Records last inspected?

Smugglers Records was last inspected on 17 March 2022, more than 4 years 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 Smugglers Records?

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

How does Smugglers Records compare to other places in Dover?

82% of the 1,086 rated food businesses in Dover hold the top rating of 5, while Smugglers Records holds a 4. 113 places in the area share that rating.

Who decides the rating?

Dover Council inspects Smugglers Records 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 Smugglers Records and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.

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Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Smugglers Records is one of 199 rated food businesses in Deal. See every hygiene rating in Deal

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 →