Lambeth Food Hygiene: Three Zeros in September, One 0 to 5

Three Lambeth food businesses inspected in September were given a food hygiene rating of zero, the lowest score in the scheme. Twelve more were given a one.

We pulled the Food Standards Agency’s full register for the borough on Monday 2 November and counted every rating with an inspection date in September (Food Standards Agency). There were 124. Most were good: 72 premises were rated five, the top mark.

The month also had a turnaround. Chip Shop BXTN on Coldharbour Lane was on zero when we last checked the register in September. It was re-inspected on 12 October and is now rated five.

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Why September and not October

Ratings of five are published as soon as the council uploads them. Ratings from zero to four are published three to five weeks after the inspection, to give the business time to appeal (Food Standards Agency guidance for businesses).

So October looks spotless on the register for now. It holds 34 ratings so far, 32 of them fives. That is the publication delay, not a month of perfect kitchens. September is the most recent month where the low scores have had time to appear.

The three on zero

A zero means urgent improvement is required. It is not a closure notice and it is not a finding of food poisoning. It records what the council’s food safety officer found on the day across three areas: hygiene, the condition of the premises, and confidence in how the business manages food safety.

Mesmer Cafe was already on zero in our September article, from an inspection in February. The September visit was a fresh inspection, and the rating stayed at zero.

None of the three had a new rating pending or a right to reply published when we checked.

The twelve on one

A one means major improvement is necessary.

Brixton accounts for the largest cluster. Three of the twelve are on Electric Avenue or Brixton Road, and The Black Farmer Shop is in Market Row in central Brixton.

Clapham’s September

The SW4 postcode had one premises on one in September: Old Town Tandoori Indian/Clapham Noodles Bar on North Street. Two more were rated three: Crust and Flame on Hambalt Road and BBQ Drive.

SW4 premises rated five in September and October include:

• Berbere, Venn Street
• the Prince of Wales pub, Old Town
• Rind, Abbeville Road
• All Greens, Abbeville Road
• Pizza Express, Abbeville Road
• Millie & Maisie, Rectory Grove
• the Bread and Roses pub

What happened to September’s zeros

Our September article named five businesses on zero. We looked each one up again by its register number.

• Chip Shop BXTN Ltd, 378 Coldharbour Lane: zero on 27 June, now five from 12 October.
• Mesmer Cafe, Stockwell Road: re-inspected 10 September, still zero.
• Kurisu Omakase, Atlantic Road: still zero from 2 July, no new rating pending.
• Mandeg Restaurant, Streatham High Road: still zero from 18 February, no new rating pending.
• Streatham Halwa, Streatham High Road: still zero from 2 September 2025, no new rating pending.

The whole borough

Lambeth now has 2,694 premises on the register. Of those, 2,454 carry a rating, 187 are waiting for a first inspection and 53 are exempt.

• 1,523 rated premises hold a five, or 62.1%. On 7 September it was 61.4%.
• Six hold a zero, one more than in September.
• 96 are on a zero or a one, up from 80 on 7 September.

The rise at the bottom is mostly September itself. It added three zeros and twelve ones in a single month, while some older low ratings were replaced by better ones.

If you run one of these businesses

There are three routes, and they are not the same thing.

• Appeal, if you think the rating is wrong. Lambeth says you must appeal in writing within 14 days of being told your rating (Lambeth Council). The FSA’s national guidance gives 21 days, so work to the shorter one.
• Right to reply, to put your side on the public record next to the rating. There is no deadline before your next inspection.
• Ask for a re-visit once you have put things right. In England this will not usually happen in the first three months, and councils can charge a fee (Food Standards Agency guidance for businesses).

Chip Shop BXTN shows the last route working: zero in June, five in October.

What it means for you

Check the register before you order. Every business in this article, and every other food business in the borough, can be searched free at ratings.food.gov.uk by name or postcode.

Do not rely on the sticker in the window. In England, displaying it is voluntary, and Lambeth says so on its own page (Lambeth Council).

A rating describes the inspection day. It says nothing about how good the food is, and a business can improve quickly, as the Coldharbour Lane chip shop did. If you think a place is unsafe now, report it to Lambeth’s food safety team, which inspects it.

For somewhere local with a good record, our Clapham and Lambeth business directory lists businesses across the borough.

Sources

• Food Standards Agency, food hygiene rating data for Lambeth, full register read via api.ratings.food.gov.uk on 2 November 2026
• Food Standards Agency, guidance for businesses: publication timing, appeals, right to reply and re-rating
• Lambeth Council, unfair or wrong ratings
• Lambeth Council, find out the food hygiene ratings of food outlets