Which UK cuisine has the most 5-star hygiene ratings?

Ask which cuisine has the most 5-star hygiene ratings and you get two different answers, depending on what “most” means. By raw count, restaurants and cafes win easily, with more than 70,000 venues holding a 5. By proportion they do not lead at all. Here is what the numbers show across the five main business types.

The most 5-star ratings by count

Restaurants and cafes hold 70,479 five-star ratings, far more than any other type. Takeaways and pubs and bars come next, almost level with each other at around 25,000 apiece, on 25,233 and 25,030. Hotels and B&Bs account for 6,190, and mobile caterers 5,229. That order tells you more about how common each type is than how clean it tends to be, because a larger category racks up more of everything, top marks included. To compare fairly, you have to switch from counts to proportions.

The share that actually holds a 5

Measured as a percentage of star-rated venues, the ranking reshuffles. Mobile caterers come top, with 72.6 per cent holding a 5. Pubs and bars follow on 71.9 per cent and hotels and B&Bs on 71.8 per cent, close enough that the three are effectively tied. Restaurants and cafes, the runaway leader on count, sit a little back at 69.0 per cent. Takeaways trail everyone at 53.9 per cent, a gap of nearly twenty points from the top of the table.

Why takeaways sit lower

Takeaways stand out twice over. They hold the smallest share of 5-star ratings and the largest share at the bottom of the scale, with 6.4 per cent on a 0, 1 or 2 against roughly 4 per cent or less for every other type. A sizeable block, about 21 per cent, sit on a 3, which the Food Standards Agency counts as generally satisfactory rather than poor. None of this measures the food. The rating reflects hygiene standards, the premises and food-safety management at the time of inspection, and takeaways as a group tend to be small, high-turnover kitchens, which is a harder setting to earn top marks in than a larger, purpose-built restaurant. The number describes the kitchen’s practices on the day, nothing more.

A note on Scotland

These figures cover the star-based Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, which runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland uses a separate scheme with a Pass or Improvement Required result and no 0 to 5 stars, so its venues are not counted here. Read this as a picture of the star-rated UK rather than the whole of it.

Where these figures come from

Everything above is computed from the Food Standards Agency’s published open data, taken as a snapshot on 26 August 2026 and released under the Open Government Licence. The percentages use each type’s star-rated total as the base, so a business awaiting its first inspection, or one rated under the Scottish scheme, does not distort the share. We publish the official result and calculate from it directly. Verified, not reviewed.

FAQ

Does a 5-star rating mean the food is better?

No. It measures hygiene standards and food-safety management, not taste, quality or value. A 5 tells you the kitchen was in good order when it was inspected.

Why do restaurants have the most 5s but not the highest share?

Because there are far more of them. Restaurants and cafes are the largest category, so they lead on raw count while sitting mid-table once you measure the percentage that actually holds a 5.

Are takeaways less safe to eat at?

Not necessarily. A lower share of 5-star ratings means more takeaways scored below top marks, but a 3 still counts as generally satisfactory. Check the individual venue’s rating and inspection date rather than judging by category.

Does this include Scotland?

No. Star ratings apply to England, Wales and Northern Ireland only. Scotland’s venues carry a Pass or Improvement Required result under a separate scheme.

Hero image: Rumman Amin via Unsplash.