A Little Mount Sion fish bar and a Southborough Thai restaurant were rated 1 in September. August's 37 ratings had none below 3. Every name and score.

Two food businesses in the Tunbridge Wells borough were rated 1 out of 5 for hygiene in early September. One is a fish bar in Royal Tunbridge Wells. The other is a Thai restaurant in Southborough, about two miles north of the town centre.

August, now readable in full, produced nothing below a 3. (Food Standards Agency register)

Why the lag? The Food Standards Agency publishes a 5 straight away. Ratings of 0 to 4 are held for three to five weeks after the inspection so the business can appeal first. (FHRS guidance for businesses, GOV.UK) That is why we report August now, and why September is not finished yet.

The two rated 1

Downtown Fish Bar, 38 to 38A Little Mount Sion, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 1YP, was inspected on 1 September. Its component scores were 5 for food handling, 5 for the building and 20 for confidence in management. (Food Standards Agency register)

Thai Orchid, 61 London Road, Southborough TN4 0PB, was inspected on 10 September. It scored 5 for food handling, 10 for the building and 20 for confidence in management. (Food Standards Agency register)

On the component scale a lower number is better. 0 is very good, 5 good, 10 generally satisfactory, 15 improvement necessary and 20 major improvement necessary.

So both kitchens scored well on how food was actually handled. What pulled them down was confidence in management: the paperwork, training and food safety systems a business is expected to keep. A single 20 is enough to sink a rating.

Neither business has published a right to reply on its register entry.

August: 37 ratings, none below 3

Bar chart of food hygiene ratings from August 2026 inspections in Tunbridge Wells borough: 31 rated 5, 3 rated 4, 3 rated 3, and none rated 2, 1 or 0.
Every rating published with an August inspection date. Chart by T Wells Today.
Share this chartFacebookWhatsAppX

Thirty seven ratings carry an August inspection date:

  • 31 rated 5, very good
  • 3 rated 4, good
  • 3 rated 3, generally satisfactory
  • none rated 2, 1 or 0

The three that scored 3 (food handling, building, management):

  • Signature, 37 Mount Ephraim, Royal Tunbridge Wells, inspected 4 August: 10, 10 and 10 (register)
  • Village Chippy, The Street, Sissinghurst, about thirteen miles east of the town, inspected 6 August: 10, 10 and 10 (register)
  • New Diamond Chinese takeaway, 51 Grosvenor Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, inspected 27 August: 10, 5 and 10 (register)

The three that scored 4:

  • The Beacon, Tea Garden Lane, Royal Tunbridge Wells, inspected 7 August (register)
  • Royal TW Water, 4 The Pantiles, inspected 11 August (register)
  • Manuels Bakery, 3 Rusthall High Street, inspected 18 August (register)

New 5s worth knowing about

Thirty one businesses earned a 5 from an August inspection. They include:

  • Royal Wells Hotel, Mount Ephraim (28 August)
  • Kokoro, 5 Calverley Road (4 August)
  • Soul Ramen, 2 Grove Hill Road (3 August)
  • The Cheese Shop Tunbridge Wells, 57 St John’s Road (5 August)
  • Odey’s, 48 The Pantiles (19 August)
  • The Peacock Inn, Goudhurst (27 August)
  • Larkins Alehouse and Food For Thought, Cranbrook (both 19 August)
  • Hawkhurst Fish Bar and Hawkhurst Cafe, Highgate Hill (both 20 August)

In September so far, 5s have gone to The Crown Inn at Groombridge (16 September), St Johns Fish Bar (3 September) and The Dulwich School at Cranbrook (2 September), among twelve.

What the whole register says

The Food Standards Agency holds 1,077 entries for the borough. A further 26 are awaiting a first inspection and 14 are exempt. That leaves 1,037 with a rating.

  • 866 rated 5, or 83.5%
  • 114 rated 4
  • 41 rated 3
  • 7 rated 2
  • 9 rated 1
  • none rated 0

Not one business in the borough holds a zero.

What it means for you

  • Check before you book. Every rating here is on the Food Standards Agency register, free and searchable by name or street.
  • A rating is a snapshot. It records what an officer found on one day. A business that has put things right keeps the old score until it is inspected again or pays for a re-rating visit.
  • Low does not automatically mean dirty. Both businesses rated 1 this month scored 5, “good”, for how they handled food.
  • Businesses can reply and appeal. They have 21 days to appeal, and can publish a right to reply on the register at any time before the next inspection.

A rating is a matter of public record, not a finding of wrongdoing. Any business named here can ask for a re-inspection once it has made improvements.

Our last round-up covered July’s ratings. For places to eat and drink, see things to do in Tunbridge Wells.

Sources