Twenty-two restaurants across Cardiff have been handed food hygiene ratings of one or zero, according to the latest data from the Food Standards Agency. The list includes well-known venues in the city centre and Cardiff Bay, with some receiving the lowest possible scores.
The Food Standards Agency classifies businesses with zero stars out of five as requiring "urgent improvement necessary," while those with one star are deemed to need "major improvement necessary." Council inspectors evaluate how food is handled, stored, and prepared, as well as the cleanliness of facilities and overall food safety management. If an inspector identifies an imminent risk to public health, they can halt part of the operation or shut it down entirely until issues are resolved, and they may set deadlines for improvements.
Restaurants with One-Star Ratings
Among the one-star rated venues is Bacareto on Church Street, inspected on June 2, 2026, which received "improvement necessary" for hygienic food handling and "major improvement necessary" for food safety management. The business responded: "Following our recent EHO (environmental health officer) inspection, some equipment and paperwork issues were identified on that day. We appreciated these being brought to our attention and we are pleased to say that they were addressed swiftly." They added that a re-rating application had been submitted and they were confident of a higher rating imminently.
The Sultan, a two-time winner at the Food Awards Wales, was rated one after a May 24, 2026 inspection at its Stuart Place location in Cardiff Bay. The restaurant stated: "Sultan Restaurant is a family‑run business that has always prided itself on maintaining the highest standards of food hygiene, safety, and quality. We were therefore deeply concerned when we received the rating... as we firmly believe it does not accurately reflect the standards that were in place." Head chef and director Murat Kilic noted the restaurant previously held a four-star rating and that the inspection occurred on "our busiest day to date" during a hot bank holiday. He added that proactive steps had been taken, including engaging an independent food hygiene consultant and arranging additional staff training.
Other one-star establishments include The Black Lion in Llandaff, Mr Latte Coffee House in Roath, Super Chinese Kitchen in Adamsdown, Coffi Co in Cardiff Bay, Troy Meze Bar in Roath, Wings of Glory in Riverside, Cafe Castan in Pontcanna, The Grand Naan Curry House in Ely, Curry Hut Cardiff in Cathays, First Light Cafe in Tongwynlais, Mighty Cod in Adamsdown, Indian Street Truck in Roath, Rocket Joes in Roath, Ely Fish Bar in Caerau, Cardiff Pizza Company in Cathays, Dunya in Grangetown, and Kebab Slemany in Adamsdown.
Zero-Rated Restaurants
Three restaurants received the lowest rating of zero. Slim Chickens in St David's Grand Arcade was inspected on June 29, 2026, and received "major improvement necessary" for both cleanliness and food safety management. The company said: "Slim Chickens is committed to the highest food safety standards and this particular restaurant was awarded a five-star hygiene rating in April 2026. We voluntarily closed for refurbishment in June as soon as we became aware of an issue." They noted that after completing work in mid-July, the restaurant had achieved exemplary hygiene scores in internal and independent audits.
Eat & Sip Market on Salisbury Road in Cathays was rated zero after a June 24, 2026 inspection, with "urgent improvement necessary" for food safety management. Laziza Shawarma 2 on Clifton Street in Adamsdown was also rated zero following a March 11, 2026 inspection, receiving "major improvement necessary" for hygienic food handling and cleanliness, and "urgent improvement necessary" for management.
The ratings are publicly available on the Food Standards Agency website and reflect the state of each premises at the time of inspection. Several businesses have indicated they are appealing or have already taken corrective actions.
