69 Croydon food hygiene inspections were rated in July 2026. Rio Lounge on Cherry Orchard Road took the lowest possible zero, three businesses were rated 1, and the Nando's off Purley Way was rated 2.

A restaurant on Cherry Orchard Road has been handed the lowest possible food hygiene rating, a zero, meaning “urgent improvement necessary”, in the worst result among 69 Croydon inspections rated in July. Three more businesses were rated 1, and the Nando’s on Hesterman Way, off Purley Way, was rated 2, “improvement necessary”. (Food Standards Agency, food hygiene ratings register)

The figures come from the FSA’s public register of ratings under the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, retrieved on 5 August for every rating dated July 2026 in the Croydon local authority area. Most businesses did well: 44 of the 69 took the top score of 5 and another 16 scored 4. But the bottom of the table is unusually busy this month.

The zero: Rio Lounge

Bar chart of Croydon food hygiene ratings dated July 2026: 44 rated 5, 16 rated 4, 4 rated 3, 1 rated 2, 3 rated 1, and 1 rated 0
Chart by Croydon Today.

Rio Lounge, the restaurant at 162 to 164 Cherry Orchard Road near East Croydon, was inspected on 4 July and rated 0. A zero is rare: it is the scheme’s bottom rung, and the register’s detailed scores for Rio Lounge place all three inspection areas, hygienic food handling, the cleanliness and condition of the building, and management of food safety, in the worst bands recorded. (FSA register entry for Rio Lounge)

A low rating does not itself close a business; inspectors have separate enforcement powers they use where food is an imminent risk, and the register does not record any such action here. Every rated business has a right of appeal, a right to reply that is published with the rating, and a right to request a revisit once improvements are made. No reply from Rio Lounge appears on its register entry at the time of writing.

Three ones and a big-name two

Three businesses were rated 1, “major improvement necessary”:

  • Kaptaan’s Biryani, the takeaway at 1466 London Road, Norbury, inspected 13 July, with management of food safety in the lowest band scored.
  • D And D Grocery Shop (Extreme Agoo Provisions) at 1 Commercial Buildings, High Street, South Norwood, inspected 8 July.
  • 4Every Child, catering registered at St Nicholas School on Reedham Drive, Purley, inspected 7 July; food handling was marked generally satisfactory but confidence in management scored in the lowest band.

The most recognisable name near the bottom is Nando’s on Hesterman Way, in the Valley Park retail area off Purley Way, rated 2 on 9 July. The breakdown is more mixed than the headline number: hygienic food handling was judged good, but the condition of the facilities and building was marked “improvement necessary” and management of food safety “generally satisfactory”. (FSA register entry)

Four more scored 3, “generally satisfactory”: The Kenkey House on London Road (3 July), Nonna Rosa’s on Brighton Road, Coulsdon (8 July), Selsdon Cafe on Addington Road (9 July) and Spice N Ice at the South Park Hotel, South Croydon (13 July).

The 44 top scores

The fives ran right across the borough: KFC at 7 London Road and Chicken World on Portland Road, South Norwood, among the takeaways; Royal Mahal in Norbury and the Abuela Play Cafe in Coulsdon among restaurants and cafes; Domino’s branches in both Coulsdon and Addiscombe; and a long run of school kitchens rated in the final weeks of term, including Ark Blake Academy, Coombe Wood School, Oasis Academy Arena in South Norwood and Elmwood Junior School.

What it means for you

The register is free and takes seconds to check before you order: search any Croydon business by name or postcode at ratings.food.gov.uk. July’s spread is a reminder that the borough average and any single kitchen can be very different things: 60 of 69 businesses scored 4 or 5, yet five fell to a 2 or below. A low rating can be appealed or re-inspected, so a business you use may already have asked Croydon Council for a revisit; the register shows the inspection date, so you can judge how fresh any score is.

For more practical local guides, see our pages on parking in Croydon and Croydon planning applications.

Sources

Image: North End, Croydon by Stacey Harris, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Chart by Croydon Today.