Chai Kadai on South End was rated 0 in September. Five Croydon premises got a 1, four of them caring premises such as nurseries. 59 of 79 ratings were fives.
A restaurant on South End was given a food hygiene rating of 0 in September, the lowest score there is. Croydon’s only other zeros on the register date from June and July.
Chai Kadai, at 24 to 26 South End, CR0 1DN, was inspected on 8 September (register entry). A zero means urgent improvement is necessary.
The rest of the month was mostly good. The Food Standards Agency register now holds 79 ratings from Croydon inspections dated in September, and 59 of them are fives.
Every figure here comes from the FSA food hygiene ratings register, read on 3 October 2026.
Why Chai Kadai scored 0
A rating is built from three scores, and a lower score is better on each. Chai Kadai’s were:
| Area inspected | Score | What the band means |
|---|---|---|
| Hygienic food handling | 15 | Improvement necessary |
| Condition of the structure | 20 | Major improvement necessary |
| Confidence in management | 30 | Urgent improvement necessary |
The 30 for management is the worst score the scheme gives. It covers the records, training and food safety systems that are meant to keep standards up between visits. It did most to pull the overall rating down to zero.
A zero does not mean a business has been closed. The register shows no right to reply from Chai Kadai.
It sits on a street that had a busy month. Three other South End businesses were inspected in September:
- Smacks Hamburgers Croydon, 31 South End, rated 5 on 10 September
- Caminetto, 42A South End, rated 4 on 2 September
- Uncle Lim’s Kitchen, 47 South End, rated 4 on 3 September
Croydon now has three premises holding a zero. The other two, Rio Lounge on Cherry Orchard Road and Phoenix City Chinese Takeaway on Mitcham Road, were rated in July and June and were in our August roundup.
The five rated 1, and who they are
A 1 means major improvement is necessary. Only one of September’s five was a restaurant:
- Planet Spice, 88 Selsdon Park Road, South Croydon, CR2 8JT, inspected 3 September (register entry)
- Crosfield Nursery School and Children’s Centre, Elborough Road, South Norwood, SE25 5BD, inspected 9 September (register entry)
- Loving Hands Nursery School, at Norbury Park Lawn Tennis Club, Ederline Avenue, SW16 4RZ, inspected 8 September (register entry)
- Mencap, 19 Northampton Road, CR0 7HB, inspected 4 September (register entry)
- Mencap, 5 Featherbed Lane, CR0 9AE, inspected 4 September (register entry)
The register lists all four non-restaurants as caring premises. All five scored 20 for confidence in management, the same weak spot as every business rated 1 in August.
One detail is worth knowing if your child goes to a Loving Hands setting. The register lists three premises under that name, and they did not score the same. The Norbury nursery got a 1. Loving Hands at 2 Elgin Road and Loving Hands at Christ Church International Nursery School on Sumner Road were both rated 5 in the same week. Check the address, not just the name.
Two takeaways were rated 2, meaning some improvement is necessary:
- Morley’s Fried Chicken, 220 Mitcham Road, CR0 3JJ, inspected 2 September
- Peri Peri Hut, Shop 8, Ye Market, Selsdon Road, CR2 6PW, inspected 3 September
Two shops were rated 3, generally satisfactory: JJ Meat and Grocers on Thornton Heath High Street and Portland Butchers on Portland Road, South Norwood.
Care settings keep turning up at the bottom
This is the pattern the monthly totals hide. The register holds 11 ratings of 1 from Croydon inspections in August and September. Nine of the 11 are registered as caring premises, the FSA category for nurseries, childcare and care settings. Only Planet Spice and Palm Cuisine are restaurants or takeaways.
In most of these settings the people eating the food are children or adults who receive care. The hygiene rules apply to them in full.
Ratings published since our August roundup
Ratings appear on the register some time after the inspection, so a month’s picture keeps filling in. On 31 August we counted 48 ratings from August inspections. The register now holds 107.
Four more 1s from August have appeared since then, all at caring premises based in schools or a church building:
- Active Future Croydon, The Crescent Primary School, CR0 2HN, inspected 20 August
- Arisekidz, St Luke’s Vicarage, Portland Road, SE25 4RB, inspected 20 August
- Reaching Higher, Oasis Academy Arena, Albert Road, SE25 4QL, inspected 21 August
- Rosie’s Art Club, Harris Academy Purley, Kendra Hall Road, CR2 6DT, inspected 24 August
Four August 2s have also been published. They are Dominic’s Pizza at 377 Mitcham Road, Ozzies Charcoal at 418 Brighton Road, Samsara Restaurant and Bar at 322 Limpsfield Road, and the cafe at Waddon Leisure Centre on Purley Way.
One rating from our August list has gone. The Holiday Inn Express London Croydon Hotel at Priddy’s Yard, rated 1 on 7 August, now shows as awaiting publication (register entry). That means it has been given a newer rating that is not public yet. We will report it when it is.
The good news in September
Most of the fives went to places people use every day:
- The Carriage on platforms 5 and 6 at East Croydon station
- McDonald’s at 86 to 90 North End, and Chopstix Noodle Bar at 103 North End
- Dub Pan, Jamaican Stylee at Boxpark on George Street
- Zero Quattro on Russell Hill Road, Purley, and Luvia Cafe and Bistro on Wickham Road
- Grand Cafe 241 on Selhurst Road and Texas Mexican / Crust Pizza on Woodside Green, South Norwood
- The Village Club on Addington Road, Selsdon
- two Surrey Street Market stalls, Joseph’s Juice and Yummy Chips UK
- school kitchens at Trinity School, Orchard Park High School, Harris Academy Beulah Hill and several primaries
How Croydon compares with its neighbours
Across the borough, 2,848 food businesses now hold a numeric rating. Of those, 1,839 hold a 5, which is 64.6%. That is up slightly from 64.2% on 31 August.
| Borough | Rated premises | Rated 5 | Share at 5 | Rated 0 or 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merton | 1,281 | 1,054 | 82.3% | 13 |
| Bromley | 2,182 | 1,677 | 76.9% | 20 |
| Sutton | 1,178 | 882 | 74.9% | 20 |
| Croydon | 2,848 | 1,839 | 64.6% | 54 |
| Lambeth | 2,437 | 1,502 | 61.6% | 85 |
All five rows come from the same FSA register, read on 3 October 2026. Croydon’s count at 0 or 1 rose from 50 to 54 over the month.
What it means for you
- Look up a place before you order. The FSA register is free to search by name or postcode, and it shows the inspection date as well as the score.
- If your child is at a nursery, club or holiday scheme, look that up too. Childcare settings that serve food are rated like any cafe.
- Read the three scores. A place marked down on structure has a different problem from one marked down on management.
- Displaying the sticker is voluntary in England. A missing sticker tells you nothing either way.
- Report a problem to the council. Croydon’s food and safety team is on food.safety@croydon.gov.uk or 020 8760 5436 (Croydon Council).
What a named business can do
Any business named here can appeal its rating in writing to the council, or publish a right to reply on the register explaining what has changed. Both are free (FSA: safeguards for businesses).
A business can also pay for a re-visit once it has fixed the problems. Croydon charges £300, paid upfront by card. The council has three months from payment to carry out the visit, and it warns that the new rating can go down as well as up (Croydon Council).
Sources
- Food Standards Agency food hygiene ratings register, read through the FSA’s open ratings API for Croydon, Bromley, Lambeth, Merton and Sutton on 3 October 2026 (all ratings, scores, addresses, business types and inspection dates)
- Croydon Council: food hygiene rating scheme (the £300 re-visit charge, the three-month timescale, contact details)
- FSA: Food Hygiene Rating Scheme safeguards for businesses (appeals and right to reply)
Ratings change with every inspection. Check the FSA register for the current position before relying on anything here. Our other Croydon guides cover bin collection days, council tax bands, parking and planning applications.
Have your say