Are takeaways less hygienic than restaurants in the UK?

On average, UK takeaways score slightly lower on hygiene than restaurants: 61% of 52,213 rated takeaways and sandwich shops hold the top 5-star Food Standards Agency rating, versus 75.3% of 117,909 rated restaurants and cafes — a gap of 14.3 percentage points. The average rating is 4.33 for takeaways and 4.6 for restaurants (out of 5).

What share of UK takeaways have a low food hygiene rating?

2.7% of rated UK takeaways and sandwich shops (1,410 premises) score 0 or 1 star, where major or urgent improvement is necessary, compared with 1.6% of restaurants and cafes. A low rating reflects the last inspection and may since have improved.

Is takeaway food safe to order in the UK?

The large majority of UK takeaways are rated well: 61% hold a 5-star rating and only 2.7% are rated 0 or 1 star. Checking a takeaway's current FSA food hygiene rating before ordering is the simplest way to avoid the small minority that need improvement.

Takeaways vs Restaurants: Which Is Cleaner? UK Hygiene Compared (Real FSA Data) | GeraEats

Quick answer

Restaurants & cafes edge ahead — by 14.3 percentage points on top-marks hygiene.

75.3% of rated UK restaurants and cafes hold the top 5-star hygiene rating, versus 61% of takeaways and sandwich shops. Average ratings are 4.6 and 4.33 out of 5 respectively. The gap is real but modest — both categories are overwhelmingly well-rated, and only 2.7% of takeaways score 0 or 1 star (vs 1.6% of restaurants).

Restaurants & cafes

5★ share: 75.3%
Average rating: 4.6 / 5
0–1★ (low): 1.6%
Rated premises: 117,909

Takeaways & sandwich shops

5★ share: 61%
Average rating: 4.33 / 5
0–1★ (low): 2.7%
Rated premises: 52,213

Full rating distribution

Restaurants & cafes

5★

75.3%

4★

14.4%

3★

6.9%

2★

1.8%

1★

1.4%

0★

0.2%

Takeaways & sandwich shops

5★

61%

4★

20%

3★

13.3%

2★

1★

2.4%

0★

0.3%

What this means when you order

The hygiene gap between takeaways and restaurants is 14.3 percentage points on the 5-star share — noticeable, but small enough that the business type alone is a weak predictor. The stronger signal is the individual venue's rating: a 5-star takeaway is held to exactly the same FSA standard as a 5-star restaurant. Before ordering, check the specific premises' current rating rather than assuming by category.

Cite this report

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Citation

GeraEats (2026). Takeaways vs Restaurants: UK Food Hygiene Compared 2026. Retrieved from https://geraeats.com/reports/takeaways-vs-restaurants-hygiene

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<blockquote>75.3% of UK restaurants vs 61% of takeaways hold a 5-star food hygiene rating (FSA data, 2026-06-12) — <a href="https://geraeats.com/reports/takeaways-vs-restaurants-hygiene">Takeaways vs Restaurants: UK Food Hygiene Compared 2026</a>, GeraEats.</blockquote>

Related reports

UK Food Hygiene Report 2026 — cleanest & dirtiest UK cities + national pass rates.
UK Food Hygiene by Business Type 2026 — every business type ranked, not just these two.
Check any UK venue's hygiene rating — the full directory.

Methodology

Figures are computed directly from the Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) register, grouped by the FSA's own businessType field. "Restaurants & cafes" is the FSA "Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen" type (117,909 rated); "Takeaways & sandwich shops" is "Takeaway/sandwich shop" (52,213 rated). Percentages are over rated premises only (Scotland's pass/fail scheme is excluded so the 5-star metric stays comparable). No figures are estimated. Data as of 2026-06-12.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Food hygiene ratings are sourced from the Food Standards Agency at ratings.food.gov.uk. Ratings reflect the most recent inspection on record and may have changed since publication.