# FSSAI Suspends License of Historic 122-Year-Old Mumbai Cafe Over Severe Hygiene Violations

> Food safety authorities have suspended the operational FSSAI license of a legendary 122-year-old Mumbai eatery after inspectors discovered severe sanitary breaches, including rodent droppings and dead cockroaches.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Maharashtra · **Published:** 2026-09-29 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/maharashtra/gnbhira-gndagi-milane-ke-bada-mumbai-ke-suprasiddha-122-sala-purane-kaiphe-ka-fssai-laisensa-nilnbita-40024 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Mumbai Cafe, FSSAI Action, Food Safety, License Suspended, FDA Inspection, Maharashtra News

A severe food hygiene breach has come to light in Mumbai, where regulatory authorities have suspended the FSSAI license of a prominent 122-year-old cafe. The establishment has long enjoyed legendary status across the metropolis, frequently visited by prominent Bollywood actors, political figures, and celebrated artists. Despite its century-long operational legacy and esteemed clientele, an inspection by state authorities exposed egregious disregard for mandatory health and safety guidelines inside its food preparation sections.

## Enforcement Action Under State Sanitation Drive
The punitive measure follows an active monitoring campaign conducted by the state FDA department, which has been reviewing standards across hotels and dining establishments to safeguard public well-being. During this regulatory drive, an inspection team carried out an on-site audit of the historic venue on a Monday. The conditions documented during the visit compelled regulators to immediately halt the cafe's legal authority to prepare or serve food.

## Alarming Sanitation Deficits Inside Kitchen and Storage
Inspectors uncovered alarming hygienic deficiencies across spaces designated for food handling and raw ingredient storage. The team recorded the presence of cats wandering through preparation areas, rodent droppings scattered near supplies, active houseflies, and dead cockroaches. Furthermore, large accumulations of congealed blood were discovered pooled inside the refrigeration units, presenting severe risks of biological contamination.

Operational practices within the processing wing revealed additional safety violations. Officials located an open sewer manhole situated directly inside the food processing section. Prepared food items were left sitting directly on the untreated floor, while raw dough sat covered merely with sheets of newspaper rather than food-grade covers. Staff members handling consumer meals were observed failing to maintain even basic personal cleanliness.

## Absence of Protective Gear and Immediate Legal Sanctions
In addition to basic sanitary lapses, workers inside the preparation facility were operating without required personal protective equipment (PPE). Evaluating these extensive food safety and hygiene failures as an imminent hazard to customer health, the regulatory authority acted under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Under this legal provision, authorities placed FSSAI license number 11517001000318 under immediate suspension.

The administrative directive strictly prohibits the heritage establishment from purchasing raw ingredients, manufacturing meals, processing consumables, holding inventory, selling dishes, or conducting deliveries. Specialized teams are currently monitoring the premises to verify total compliance with the shutdown directive. The incident has raised deep concerns among local diners who traditionally frequent heritage eateries under the assumption that historic reputations guarantee clean and safe food handling.

## What this means for you
The severe sanitary violations discovered at this prominent eatery directly impact dining consumers and hospitality standards.

- **Across India:** The enforcement highlights that a historic brand name or heritage status does not guarantee food hygiene. Consumers must remain vigilant about visible cleanliness practices rather than relying solely on vintage reputation.
- **In Mumbai:** Regular patrons of iconic heritage eateries across the city face a disruption in trust and access. Ongoing strict surveillance by municipal and state food authorities could result in similar regulatory inspections across other dining spots.
- **Consumer Health:** Ingestion of food exposed to raw sewage, pests, and unhygienic storage presents acute risks of bacterial infections and severe foodborne illness. Diners encountering unhygienic conditions should immediately report such violations to national food safety portals.
- **Restaurant Operations:** Commercial food handlers must recognize that hygiene lapses result in immediate operational shutdowns and license suspensions. Establishments are compelled to audit their pest control, cold storage sanitation, and staff protective gear mandates without delay.

## Why this happened
The sudden suspension was triggered by routine regulatory vigilance aimed at safeguarding consumer health, which uncovered systemic sanitation failures inside the heritage venue.

- **Direct Physical Cause:** Inspection officers uncovered rodent droppings, live flies, deceased cockroaches, and pools of blood inside cooling units. An open sewage manhole within the processing room presented immediate bacterial hazards.
- **Protocol Failures:** Staff were handling meals without mandated personal protective equipment, placing cooked food on untreated flooring, and covering raw ingredients with printed newsprint. A persistent lack of internal sanitation audits allowed these practices to fester.
- **Regulatory Enforcement Drive:** The state FDA department has been aggressively pursuing scheduled and surprise inspections across commercial eateries to enforce hygiene laws. Monday's audit was part of this wider operational sweep.
- **Statutory Mandate:** Regulators invoked Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which empowers officers to immediately suspend licenses when premises pose an imminent public health hazard.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Which establishment was penalized in Mumbai?
Authorities took action against a renowned 122-year-old heritage cafe known for hosting Bollywood stars, politicians, and distinguished artists.

### 2. Which license has been suspended by the authorities?
The cafe's FSSAI license number 11517001000318 was suspended under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

### 3. What specific sanitary violations were documented during the inspection?
Officers found cats, rodent droppings, live flies, dead cockroaches, blood inside refrigerators, an open sewer manhole, and food placed on floors.

### 4. Is the cafe permitted to continue its food operations?
No, the establishment was ordered to halt all procurement, manufacturing, processing, storage, sales, and distribution immediately.

### 5. When and by whom was this inspection carried out?
The regulatory action was executed on a Monday following an audit by the state FDA department.

---
_TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._