The five fish and chip shops in Belfast with a hygiene rating of 2 or less

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Good Friday is one of the biggest days of the year for fish and chip shops, with queues out the door as folks across Belfast stick to the tradition of ditching meat in favour of a proper chippy tea. But before you place that order, you might want to check the food hygiene rating of your local.

The tradition of eating fish on Good Friday comes from Christian beliefs and practices, particularly within the Catholic Church. The tradition is rooted in abstaining from meat on Fridays, which was seen as a sacrifice, with fish often chosen as an alternative.

The food hygiene and safety procedures (including food handling practices and procedures, and temperature control), and, are assessed using the scoring system below:

We’ve had a look at the official food hygiene scores and pulled together a list of Belfast’s fish and chip shops currently rated 2 or below, meaning improvements are urgently needed when it comes to cleanliness, food handling, or kitchen conditions.

Hungry Hound 2 - Rating 2

405 Ormeau Road, Belfast, BT7 3GP

Hungry Hound 2 was awarded a Food Hygiene Rating of 2 (Improvement Necessary) by Belfast City Council on 27th February 2025.

Food Hygiene and Safety	Good	High standard of compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice, with minor contraventions of food hygiene regulations. Some minor non-compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice.
Structural Compliance	Improvement necessary	Some major non-compliance with statutory obligations – more effort required to prevent a fall in standards.
Confidence in Management	Generally satisfactory	Satisfactory record of compliance. Access to and use of technical advice, either in-house or from trade associations. May have a satisfactory documented food safety management system.

The Bridge - Rating 2

337 Beersbridge Road, Belfast ,BT5 5DS

The Bridge was awarded a Food Hygiene Rating of 2 (Improvement Necessary) by Belfast City Council on 22nd April 2024.

Food Hygiene and Safety	Improvement necessary	Some major non-compliance with statutory obligations – more effort required to prevent fall in standards.
Structural Compliance	Generally satisfactory	Some non-compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice. The premises are in the top 50 per cent of premises, and standards are being maintained or improved.
Confidence in Management	Generally satisfactory	Satisfactory record of compliance. Access to and use of technical advice either in-house or from trade associations. May have a satisfactory documented food safety management system.

The Chip Co - Rating 2

60 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1JR

The Chip Co. was awarded a Food Hygiene Rating of 2 (Improvement Necessary) by Belfast City Council on 28th February 2025.

Food Hygiene and Safety	Very good	High standard of compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice; conforms to accepted good practices in the trade.
Structural Compliance	Improvement necessary	Some major non-compliance with statutory obligations – more effort required to prevent fall in standards.
Confidence in Management	Generally satisfactory	Satisfactory record of compliance. Access to and use of technical advice, either in-house or from trade associations. May have a satisfactory documented food safety management system.

Cod Almighty - Rating 1

687 Oldpark Road, Belfast, BT14 6QY

Cod Almighty was awarded a Food Hygiene Rating of 1 (Major Improvement Necessary) by Belfast City Council on 18th February 2025.

Food Hygiene and Safety	Good	High standard of compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice, with minor contraventions of food hygiene regulations. Some minor non-compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice.
Structural Compliance	Generally satisfactory	Some non-compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice. The premises are in the top 50 per cent of premises and standards are being maintained or improved.
Confidence in Management	Major improvement necessary	Varying record of compliance. Poor appreciation of hazards and control measures. No food safety management system.

Sunflower - Rating 1

590 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 4HG

Sunflower was awarded a Food Hygiene Rating of 1 (Major Improvement Necessary) by Belfast City Council on 6th March 2025.

Food Hygiene and Safety	Generally satisfactory	Some non-compliance with statutory obligations and industry codes of recommended practice. The premises are in the top 50 per cent of premises, and standards are being maintained or improved.
Structural Compliance	Major improvement necessary	General failure to satisfy statutory obligations – standards are generally low.
Confidence in Management	Major improvement necessary	Varying record of compliance. Poor appreciation of hazards and control measures. No food safety management system.