Southampton · Hampshire
Online ordering for Southampton takeaways and restaurants
Every one of Southampton’s 223 FSA-registered takeaways sits within 3 miles of the centre point, with the Itchen splitting the east bank.
Food Standards Agency figures for Southampton
These counts are from the Food Standards Agency open data, pulled on 19 October 2026. “Takeaway” means the FSA business type “Takeaway/sandwich shop”. Cuisine rows are a name-keyword estimate, not a census, and 41% of takeaway names were not classified.
| Measure | Southampton |
|---|---|
| Takeaway / sandwich shops | 223 |
| Restaurants, cafés and canteens | 480 |
| All registered food businesses | 1,701 |
| Takeaways rated 5 | 45.5% of rated businesses |
| Takeaways rated 4 or 5 | 72% of rated businesses |
| Takeaways rated 0, 1 or 2 | 4.7% of rated businesses |
| Mean rating of rated takeaways | 4.09 |
| Takeaways awaiting inspection | 12 |
| Takeaways inspected in the last 12 months | 111 |
| Postcode districts with a takeaway | 6 |
| Median miles from the takeaway centre of this register | 1.4 |
| Takeaways within 3 miles of that centre | 100% |
| England benchmark | 61.9% rated 5 · 51,838 takeaways |
| South East benchmark | 65.5% rated 5 · 6,243 takeaways |
| FHRS rating | Takeaways |
|---|---|
| 5 | 96 |
| 4 | 56 |
| 3 | 49 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 1 | 5 |
| 0 | 1 |
| Awaiting inspection | 12 |
| Postcode district | Takeaways | Share |
|---|---|---|
| SO16 | 50 | 22.4% |
| SO15 | 46 | 20.6% |
| SO14 | 40 | 17.9% |
| SO19 | 38 | 17% |
| SO18 | 33 | 14.8% |
| SO17 | 15 | 6.7% |
Cuisine estimate from business names
| Name keyword | Takeaways |
|---|---|
| Unclassified | 92 |
| Pizza | 40 |
| Fish and chips | 28 |
| Chinese | 19 |
| Indian or Bangladeshi | 15 |
| Kebab | 12 |
| Chicken | 11 |
| Thai or other Asian | 4 |
| Café or bakery | 2 |
Among South East authorities with 50+ takeaways, ranked by takeaway pct_rated_5. Rank 56 of 59.
Source: Food Standards Agency, contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Extract date 19 October 2026. The council food team page is Southampton.
# Online ordering for Southampton takeaways and restaurants
Short answer: Southampton is the most compact takeaway market in this series. Every one of its 223 FSA-registered takeaways is within 3 miles of the city's takeaway centre point. But the River Itchen cuts off Bitterne and Woolston in the east, and the main crossing there is tolled. Hygiene ratings also trail most of the South East. Chefzi gives you a commission-free ordering site: 3 months free, then £19 a month for cash or no-card payments, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe.
The Itchen problem: delivery zones for Southampton
On a map Southampton is small: 80% of takeaways are within 2 miles of the centre point and all within 3. The difficulty is the River Itchen. SO18 and SO19, about a third of the city's takeaways and many of its customers, are on the east bank. Getting across means either the Itchen Bridge, which charges a toll, or going round by Northam Bridge, which takes longer at busy times.
- If you're west of the Itchen (SO14, SO15, SO16, SO17), make your core zone your side of the river. Add SO19 and SO18 as a separately priced zone that covers the extra time or the toll, or leave them to east-side shops.
- If you're east of the Itchen (SO18, SO19), you have a natural catchment of 71 competitors rather than 223. Build loyalty there and don't chase the city centre.
- City centre and waterfront (SO14). Includes St Mary's Stadium. Expect traffic on matchdays, and crowds around the cruise terminals on turnaround days. Collection-only windows help.
- Student areas (SO17 Portswood and Highfield, plus city-centre halls). Late, smaller orders in term time. Set a minimum order that keeps delivery worthwhile.
- Neighbouring councils. Eastleigh, Totton and Chandler's Ford are outside the city boundary but often within easy reach. Add them by postcode district if the order values justify it.
In Chefzi delivery zones you price each district separately, so an east-bank surcharge takes seconds to set up.
Late-night refreshment licensing
Hot food or hot drink served to the public between 11pm and 5am counts as late night refreshment under the Licensing Act 2003. You need a premises licence from Southampton City Council, and that applies to takeaway and delivery. Check your licensed hours and set your online ordering to close at the same time.
How Chefzi helps Southampton owners
Chefzi gives you a branded menu and checkout, a restaurant website, card payments on the £29 plan, collection, delivery by district (with an east-bank surcharge if you need one), QR codes for bags and flyers, and a kitchen app that rings until someone accepts. 0% commission, free for 3 months, then £19 a month for cash or no-card payments, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe. On GloriaFood before it closes on 30 April 2027? We'll move your menu free.
Nearby and related
Sources
- Food Standards Agency, food hygiene rating open data API, Southampton (authority "Southampton"), extract 19 Oct 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Regional and England benchmarks from the same extract. Cuisine split estimated from names.
- Southampton City Council, Itchen Bridge tolls: https://www.southampton.gov.uk/travel-transport/itchen-bridge/
- Licensing Act 2003, Schedule 2: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/schedule/2
Southampton
Questions from Southampton kitchens.
Should I charge more to deliver across the Itchen?
Many shops do, to cover the toll or the longer route. Set SO18 and SO19 as their own zone with its own fee.
How do I go from a 3 to a 5?
Fix the points in your inspection report, keep your food safety records up to date, then ask Southampton City Council about a re-rating.
Is a 2-mile delivery radius enough?
In Southampton it reaches most of the city, but the river matters more than miles. Use districts.
Can I take orders from cruise passengers?
Collection orders from your own ordering page work for anyone with a phone. Make sure your collection instructions are clear.
Other city pages
Bring Southampton orders onto your own site.
3 months free, then £19 a month for cash or no-card payments, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe. Standard Stripe card processing fees apply. No setup fee. We move the menu.