Diners ‘shocked’ as busy Liverpool restaurant Six by Nico gets zero star food hygiene rating

Diners have reacted with shock after popular Liverpool restaurant Six by Nico was given the lowest possible food hygiene rating after an inspection last month.

The North John Street restaurant was given zero stars out of a possible five for food hygiene, following a visit by Liverpool Council inspectors.

A spokesperson for Six by Nico, which is known for its varied taster menus, said they were ‘extremely disappointed’ with the report and said a full review was immediately carried out, with Six By Nico addressing each of the points made by the inspectors within a few days.

The inspection took place on October 22 and restaurant bosses said they were confident that a new inspection would see Six by Nico return to its “customary high scores”.

Reaction from Liverpool dinners

Posting on Twitter, one person said: “Every time I’ve tried to get a table it was booked up. Lucky me.”

While another Twitter user said: “Omg [oh my god] I am dead shocked because all of our friends go on about it so much and I was going to take the hubby for his birthday, because our friends go on about it, omg.”

Reacting to the story on Facebook, another reader said: “Devastating! I fancied the Paris menu.”

The issues the inspection uncovered

Hygienic food handling

The full report of the inspection has not yet been made available, but details published along with the zero star rating said major improvement was necessary in the area of ‘hygienic food handling’.

This category covers food preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage.

Also reacting on Facebook, one person tried to make light of the situation using a play on words. Reflecting on the restaurant’s food hygiene rating, they said: “Zero by Nico more like.”

Food Safety

A further area inspected in the report was management of food safety, which includes having checks in place to ensure food is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer’s confidence that standards will be maintained in future.

In this area, inspectors also said that major improvement was necessary.

Cleanliness and restaurant condition

The cleanliness and condition of the restaurant’s buildings and facilities was also assessed, with inspectors saying improvement was necessary.

This area of inspection focused on the appropriateness of the layout of Six By Nico, the restaurant’s ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control.

Reaction from Six By Nico

A spokesperson for Six By Nico said: “We were extremely disappointed with this report and immediately undertook a full review, addressing each of the points made by the inspectors within a few days.

“We look forward to our next inspection and are confident that the detailed steps taken will see a return to our customary high scores.”

Six By Nico is a concept restaurant which offers diners six courses based around regularly changing themes.

The chain restaurant has branches in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Manchester, London and Dublin.

Liverpool’s Six By Nico is currently serving its ‘Shanghai’ menu, priced at £32 per person and featuring dishes including cod and peanut sauce and black beef with broccoli.