Ipswich is home to a huge selection of Indian-style restaurants and takeaways that have been commended for achieving the highest food hygiene rating from inspectors.

Here are the seven eateries in the town that achieved five stars for cleanliness from the Food Standards Agency.

Bekash Tandoori

Ipswich Star: Bekash is one of many Indian restaurants in IpswichBekash is one of many Indian restaurants in Ipswich (Image: Archant)

Where: Meredith Road

Last rated: January 2018

Bekash, which serves Indian and Bangladeshi food, is not just highly-rated in terms of hygiene - it also has a 4.0 score on Tripadvisor.

Chutneyz

Where: Duke Street

Last rated: March 2018

This Indian diner around the corner from the Waterfront is a hit with Ipswich Star readers, being ranked as one of the nine best eateries in the town back in 2019.

Dhaka

Ipswich Star: Foez Haque, owner of the Dhaka restaurant in IpswichFoez Haque, owner of the Dhaka restaurant in Ipswich (Image: Archant)

Where: Orwell Place

Last rated: November 2019

Foez Haque, Anchor Ali and Harun Mahmud have run Dhaka since the 1980s, a Grade II-listed restaurant in Orwell Place.

Maharani Indian Cuisine

Ipswich Star: Maharani can be found in Norwich Road, IpswichMaharani can be found in Norwich Road, Ipswich (Image: Archant)

Where: Norwich Road

Last rated: June 2018

Ipswich Star readers also rate Maharani in Norwich Road highly - they voted it one of the best Indian takeaways in the town last year.

A Passage to India

Ipswich Star: A Passage to India is highly rated on TripadvisorA Passage to India is highly rated on Tripadvisor (Image: CHARLOTTE BOND)

Where: Fore Street

Last rated: March 2018

A Passage to India has a range of south Asian dishes on offer, with its vegan and vegetarian options some of the favourites on the menu.

Taj Mahal

Ipswich Star: Inside Taj Mahal in IpswichInside Taj Mahal in Ipswich (Image: Archant)

Where: Norwich Road

Last rated: June 2018

Named after the iconic Indian landmark, the Taj Mahal restaurant has 26 'excellent' ratings out of 73 reviews on its Tripadvisor page.

Zaika

Ipswich Star: Some of the dishes on off at Zaika in IpswichSome of the dishes on off at Zaika in Ipswich (Image: PHIL MORLEY)

Where: St Nicholas Street

Last rated: August 2017

Zaika is one of the highest-rated restaurants in the whole of Ipswich, coming in at 21st out of 287 eateries on Tripadvisor.

How often are restaurants inspected for hygiene?

Ipswich Borough Council, which businesses register with to sell food and drink, said there is a backlog of inspections owing to the Covid pandemic.

A council spokesman said: "During the pandemic, all councils were directed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to change from following their Food Code of Practice and instead focus only on very high risk premises and urgent reactive work.

"We are now following the FSA recovery plan to address the backlog of inspections and we are focusing on inspections at high and medium risk businesses but will be visiting all premises in time.

"We have had many new food businesses register with us during the pandemic, many of these were low risk.

"The council is committed to ensuring high standards of food safety in Ipswich and has completed one hundred percent of the first stage of the recovery plan."