Why we built it
Venue information is often spread across several places. Bars.co.uk brings useful facts together and shows who supplied each one.
The directory starts with records from the Food Standards Agency. Venues can add their own information and apply for the Bars.co.uk Responsible Community Venue Standard.
The standard is optional. A venue does not need to claim its page or join the standard to appear in the directory.
Clear sources
Every fact says where it came from. Official data, venue statements and our own work are kept separate.
Independent
Venues cannot pay for a listing, score or higher position. An audit fee only pays for the review.
Useful
Venue pages answer practical questions and explain what is not known.
Fair
People can ask for a correction. Venues can reply or appeal. Mediation is private.
The three parts of the service
Venue directory. It uses records that the Food Standards Agency classifies as Pub/bar/nightclub. This is food hygiene data. It is not a list of alcohol premises licences.
Responsible Community Venue Standard. This is a private and optional Bars.co.uk standard. A self-certified result is based on answers from the venue. An audited result has also had an independent sample review.
Free mediation. This gives people and venues a private way to understand a problem and agree next steps. We do not publish unverified claims or use them to make a hidden complaint score.
Public bodies do not endorse this service
We name the Food Standards Agency and other public data providers as our sources. This does not mean that they, a council or any other public body approve Bars.co.uk.
How to check our work
You can read our method and data sources. You can also ask for a correction or appeal a certification decision.
We date important changes to our calculations. We do not change a saved annual ranking unless we also add a correction note.