A York bar has been awarded a lowly 1 out of 5 food hygiene rating
Environmental health officers say there is ‘major improvement necessary’ at The Botanist on Stonegate.
It comes after they inspected the bar, which has been trading for nine years, on 14 August.
The inspectors gave it these ratings:
- Hygienic food handling – improvement necessary: Some major non-compliance with statutory obligations
- Cleanliness and condition of facilities – improvement necessary
- Management of food safety – Major improvement necessary: Varying record of compliance. Poor appreciation of hazards and control measures. No food safety management system.
The Botanist in York is one of a chain of 24 bars owned by the New World Trading Company.
It serves a range of food, with a la carte, brunch, lunch and kids menus. It’s also well-known for its cocktails.
The York bar, housed in an historic building that was previously home to Mulberry Hall, has a 4.4/5 TripAdvisor rating. It’s listed at 104 out of 747 restaurants in the city.
A spokesperson at The Botanist said: “We can confirm that our York restaurant received a 1-star rating during a visit from the environmental health officer on Thursday 14th August 2025.
“This fell short of our usual high standards, and we were disappointed by this rating.
“Food handling and hygiene are of the utmost importance to us and, since receiving this score, our operations and health and safety teams have implemented robust improvements.
“We are now confident that the site meets the standards we expect.
“We also have processes in place to ensure these high standards are maintained, including independent audits carried out by a third-party supplier.”
