Two Islington food businesses were rated 1 and four rated 2 in August. See every low score, the September fives, and how the borough compares.
Two Islington food businesses were given a food hygiene rating of 1, “major improvement necessary”, after inspections in August. Four more were rated 2, “some improvement necessary”.
That is from the Food Standards Agency’s register for Islington, which we read on 25 September. It holds 36 inspections dated in August. Most went well: 24 of the 36 businesses were rated 5.
We report August rather than September for a reason. A business rated 0 to 4 has 21 days to appeal, so the register usually holds back low scores for a few weeks. The September entries published so far are all 5s, and that is the waiting period, not a spotless month.
Rated 1: major improvement necessary
- Stall t/a Pure Fisheries, a mobile caterer on Chapel Market, N1. Inspected 6 August.
- Ibex Lounge, a restaurant or cafe at 347 Holloway Road, N7. Inspected 12 August.
Rated 2: some improvement necessary
- Koyla Lahore Karahi, a takeaway at 31 Seven Sisters Road, N7. Inspected 4 August.
- Benita Bakery, a retailer at 238 Upper Street, N1. Inspected 12 August.
- Fantuan London, a restaurant or cafe at 25 Camden Passage, N1. Inspected 12 August.
- Tariq Halal Meats, a retailer at 258 Seven Sisters Road, N4. Inspected 13 August.
The FSA splits each inspection into three scores: food hygiene and safety, the structure of the building, and confidence in management. Lower points are better. On Tariq Halal Meats, the register records 0 points for hygiene, the best possible, so its 2 comes from the building (15 points) and management (10 points) scores.
Rated 3 and 4 in August
- Rated 3: The Merge, 471 Holloway Road, N7 (19 August).
- Rated 4: BaMan, 13 Caledonian Road (5 August); The Volley London, 211 Old Street (7 August); Buna Ethiopian Restaurant, 87 Holloway Road (17 August); Cafe Pronto, 43 Cowcross Street (17 August); Kings Stop, 66 Caledonian Road (20 August).
New 5s in September
The register has 35 inspections dated in September so far, all rated 5. Twelve are school kitchens run by the caterer Caterlink, inspected as term started. They include Pakeman, Gillespie, St Joan of Arc, Grafton, Pooles Park, Vittoria and St Mary’s Islington primaries.
Among the restaurants, pubs and shops rated 5 in September:
- Tanakatsu, 10 Wakley Street, EC1V (10 September)
- Sitara, 784 Holloway Road (15 September)
- Budgens, 1-5 Campdale Road, N7 (15 September)
- B&S Food and Wine, 187 Blackstock Road (18 September)
- Camden Head Public House, 2 Camden Walk (8 September)
- Archway Kebab, 26 Junction Road (8 September)
- Two Tribes Campfire, Tileyard Studios (7 September)
- Stag’s House Coffee, 103-105 Bunhill Row (2 September)
- Sushi Tetsu, 12 Jerusalem Passage (1 September)
- Duchess Of Kent, 441 Liverpool Road (1 September)
How Islington compares
Across the whole borough, 2,406 businesses hold a numbered rating. Of those, 1,555 are rated 5, which is 65%. Fifty are rated 1 or 0, and only one business in Islington currently holds a 0.
What it means for you
- A rating is a snapshot of the day of the inspection. It is not a judgement on the taste or quality of the food.
- Businesses can answer back. Any business rated below 5 can appeal within 21 days, publish a right to reply on its FSA page, or ask for a re-inspection once it has made improvements. None of the six businesses rated 1 or 2 had published a right to reply when we checked.
- Check before you order by searching the business on the FSA website. Displaying the sticker is voluntary in England, so the register is the reliable source.
For more on the borough’s food and drink businesses, see our reports on licensing decisions.
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