Whether it’s a coffee in the SU or a drunken late night call to Domino’s, most of us have availed of the many eateries in and around the Queen’s area. But where does your favourite rank in the FSA food hygiene ratings?

Businesses receive a score between 0 and 5, a 0 meaning ‘urgent improvement necessary’ and a 5 showing that hygiene is ‘very good’. Anything less than a score of 3 out of 5 constitutes a fail.

Food on Campus

Food in the Student’s Union performs highly on the cleanliness front; Café Krem and Relish are considered ‘good’ with ratings of 4, while the Speakeasy is clearly a germ-free zone with a top score of 5.

Elsewhere on campus, the somewhat pricey Deanes at Queen’s is only average with a score of 3, while bookworms’ favourite Hope is rated well at 4.

Over at Elms, students can rest easy in their beds about the food standards at the Treehouse as it emerges triumphant with the highest score possible. Sadly the same cannot be said for The Hub, as they received a lowly 2 in their last inspection.

Prepare to Relish this food (sorry, couldn’t resist)

Takeaways

Languishing the bottom of the table with a disgraceful score of 0 is Lisburn Road takeaway Grillish. The hygiene at their last inspection was considered so poor that ‘urgent improvement’ is necessary. It’s probably best for your stomach to avoid this place, unless it’s 3am and you’re at the stage where you can’t even spell hygiene…

The person who christened chip shop Five Star Ltd clearly set their hopes too high, as it received a miserable rating of 1.

Domino’s Pizza (Lisburn Road) is next with a dismal rating of 2. Despite the alarming score warning ‘improvement necessary’, it’s doubtful that it will put off anyone who wants a quick hangover cure the morning after the night before.

Love-to-hate student fave Gilgamesh continues to provide the drunken masses with cheap and (perhaps surprisingly) hygienic kebabs, passing inspection with a ‘generally satisfactory’ rating of 3, alongside the popular but mediocre Chip Shop Company.

Domino’s – the hangover mecca of the Lisburn road – rated only a lowly 2.

Pubs and Bars

Granted, other than worrying about how nasty the toilets are going to be, it’s doubtful you’re going to be thinking much about hygiene on a night out.

Anyone going to Apartment for cocktails might want to reconsider though, as they were handed an embarrassing score of 1 at their last inspection.

If you plan on frequenting popular watering holes Eglantine Inn, Parlour and Laverys, have no fear, for they scored the highest possible mark of 5. Cuckoo was also pretty spotless with a ‘good’ standard of hygiene.

Hygenic AND the happiest place in Belfast? We <3 Parlour

Cafés and Restaurants

The results here are a little more mixed, but there are some germ-free gems out there.

If you plan on dining at Japanese restaurant The Ginger Tree, don’t – they were handed an abysmal 0, meaning their hygiene signifies a health threat.

Renowned for their milkshakes and smoothies, Jenz Coffee Company also failed to meet five-star FSA standards, scoring a disappointing 2 at their last inspection.

Lisburn Road eateries Chalco’s Mexican Grill and Slim’s Healthy Kitchen are ‘generally satisfactory’, as are the pricey Molly’s Yard and Beatrice Kennedy.

Student meccas Boojum and Nando’s prove their quality with top marks of 5, as do Starbucks (Lisburn Road), Clements (Botanic Avenue) and American diner Springsteen’s.

Boojum just doesn’t look right without a horde of hungry students outside…

So there you have it – a guide to the best and worst hygiene standards of some of your student favourites.

Don’t see your favourite on the list? Find out for yourself how clean it is on the FSA website.

(All ratings listed are from the most recent inspections of the businesses mentioned according to the FSA website)