The lowest-rated eateries in Luff, but are they really that bad?

Grimy food joints in Loughborough are failing tests for hygiene.

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) there are several restaurants in Loughborough rated 1 out of 5, or less.

A couple require major improvement, some have been a surprise as they are popular and regularly raved about, and have received opposing ratings on other well-known websites.

The FSA assesses a business on how it meets laws surrounding food hygiene, including the handling of the food, the cleanliness and condition of the building, and the precautions the business takes to ensure the food is safe.

The majority of these food places, however, emit a welcoming and authentic environment.

Unfortunately, a unique atmosphere doesn’t always tick the health and safety boxes.

Cinnamon

81-87 Lansdowne Drive
LE11 2BX

FSA Rating: 0/5 as of 14 May 2014

The lowest rated restaurant on the FSA website is Cinnamon.

Cinnamon is a lounge and restaurant which also enables the option of take-away, serving Indian food and offering an all day buffet.

Their menu offers a wide variety of traditional Indian dishes and also boasts a rating of 5 out of 6 stars on Just Eat, with 66 ratings and similarly to many of the others the ranking on TripAdvisor opposes the low rating, having been ranked 76 out of 183 in Loughborough.

The FSA have given the establishment a poor 0 out of 5, with urgent improvement necessary.

Cinnamon were unable to give us a statement.

Cheng Du

20-22 Nottingham Road
LE11 1EU

FSA Rating: 1/5 as of 02 July 2013

Cheng Du is a Chinese restaurant and takeaway, also offering a buffet, which can be described as very different to many of the Chinese restaurants found in the UK.

If you are after real Chinese food this seems the place to go; their menu is extensive and they serve typical dishes with additions to the menu such as sautéed pig kidney and yu-xiang bullfrog.

Unfortunately the staff were unable to comment on their FSA rating however, upon visiting, the place was busy and lively.

The appearance and ambience was unquestionably authentic, and with a TripAdvisor ranking of 128/184 the Chinese hotspot isn’t the worst and is popular enough.

Koh-I-Noor

29-35 Nottingham Road
LE11 1EX

FSA Rating: 1/5 as of 20 February 2014

Koh-I-Noor is an Indian restaurant just outside of the town centre with a calm, low-key atmosphere.

Also as a bonus, the curry house also accepts a Tastecard, which allows significant discounts of up to 50% upon booking.

With a score of 4.5 out of 6 from 44 ratings on Just Eat, and 57 out of 184 on TripAdvisor, the restaurant reigns successful despite of the FSA rating.

The look and feel of the place is cosy and relaxed, and again the food remains faithful to traditional Indian cuisine.

PETER and that’s enough

45 Ashby Square
LE11 5AA

FSA Rating: 1/5 as of 03 September 2014

This pizza restaurant is located in Ashby Square and was a new addition to Loughborough only last year.

The eclectic décor gives the place a cosy, vintage feel, with walls laden with quirky posters and artwork.

They serve sourdough based pizzas and, quoting from their website, they “aim to cure the name of pizza” by restoring traditional pizza-crafting methods, as opposed to using the artless style adopted in the 90’s.

Peter Pizzeria is ranked 19th out of 183 restaurants in Loughborough on TripAdvisor, along with an abundance of excellent reviews.

However, the Food Standards Agency, having last reviewed the authentic pizza house on 3rd September 2014, rated it a score of 1 out of 5.

Upon visiting the pizza house, Sporting Director Dom revealed that before the review, given the intended old-fashioned feel of the place, there were issues with the structure of the building and the lack of preparation space.

Having solved the issues by lining some of the walls with metal lining, installing an outer food-storage space and an additional sink by the preparation area they are now awaiting a reassessment and should have their rating bumped up in no time.