Published Nov 01, 2026 | 1:38 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 01, 2026 | 1:38 PM
Prepared gravies were found stored in buckets placed adjacent to broomsticks, slippers, and other unhygienic materials.
Popular Hyderabad eateries Shah Ghouse Cafe, Hotel Nayaab, Mehfil Restaurant, and Al Saba Restaurant were among 14 establishments ordered to suspend operations after food safety officials uncovered serious hygiene violations during inspections on Saturday, October 31.
The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) also issued show-cause notices to the luxury Taj Falaknuma Palace and seven other establishments over serious food safety violations.
The enforcement drive exposed severe health hazards, ranging from cockroach infestations and rat droppings to rotten vegetables, fungal contamination, unhygienic refrigerators, and the repeated reuse of cooking oil.
In one particularly alarming discovery, inspectors found cockroaches inside a drinking water storage tank at ‘Aeezebo The Royal Arabian Restaurant’ in Rethibowli. At another establishment, Siddique Kabab Central Kitchen in Gudimalkapur, officials found live cats roaming inside the kitchen, rat droppings, and prepared gravies stored in buckets near broomsticks and slippers.
According to a press note issued by TG SAFE on October 31, 22 enforcement teams, comprising food safety officers and police personnel, inspected 22 restaurants and food establishments across the Golconda and Charminar zones.
“The FSSAI Licenses of the (14) Restaurants/eating establishments were suspended with instructions to stop the business operations immediately in the interest of public health,” the authority stated.
Taj Falaknuma Palace, one of Hyderabad’s prominent luxury heritage hotels, was among the eight establishments served show-cause notices following the inspections. The other establishments were Hotel Sabzi near Itebar Chowk in Charminar, Pista House Restaurant in Shahalibanda, Sweekar Hotel in Santosh Nagar, Mandi at 36 Arabian Kitchen in Charminar, Golconda Hotel and Resorts in Masab Tank, Imperial Multicuisine Restaurant in Tolichowki, and Taiba Bakery in Lakdikapool.
TG SAFE noted that the notices were issued “for the serious violations noticed during the inspections,” adding that further action will be initiated against these establishments.
However, the press note did not specify the individual violations found at Taj Falaknuma Palace or the other seven establishments served notices.
At Shah Ghouse Cafe in Shahalibanda, inspectors reported broken walls, dusty and rusty ceilings, houseflies, rotten fruits and lemons, expired food items, and ingredients affected by pests and fungal contamination. Officials also found that newspapers were being used to wrap or cover dough, while some workers were consuming gutka or pan masala on the premises. The authority cited “rotten fruits and lemons, expired food articles, food articles found with pest infestation and fungal contamination” among the violations leading to the suspension of the restaurant’s license. The inspection also revealed that the establishment had failed to maintain mandatory records.
At Hotel Nayaab near Nayapool, another popular dining destination in Hyderabad’s Old City, inspectors discovered unhygienic refrigerators, rusty and unclean storage containers, and stagnant dirty water in the biryani preparation area. Officials reported that gravies and raw meat were stored together, while vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items were kept in the same compartments without proper segregation. The restaurant was additionally found using newspapers to cover food, and inspectors flagged insufficient lighting alongside missing records.
At Aeezebo The Royal Arabian Restaurant in Salarjung Colony, Rethibowli, inspectors found live cockroaches in the kitchen, on freezer doors and walls, and inside the drinking water storage tank. The authority also reported the “presence of mayonnaise made from raw eggs,” along with fungal contamination of vegetables, dirty refrigerators, and improper storage of vegetarian and non-vegetarian ingredients. Telangana government had banned the preparation of mayonnaise using raw eggs.
The authorities also found the kitchen floor to be broken, dirty, and slippery, while its walls were coated in dust and greasy deposits. Officials also reported inadequate personal hygiene among food handlers, leading to the immediate suspension of the establishment’s food safety license.
At Siddique Kabab Central Kitchen in Gudimalkapur, inspectors reported conditions that raised severe sanitation concerns. The kitchen had damaged, wet flooring, accumulated food waste, cobwebs, and unclean walls and ceilings. Prepared gravies were found stored in buckets placed adjacent to broomsticks, slippers, and other unhygienic materials.
“Heavy housefly infestation was observed. Live cats were found roaming freely inside the kitchen premises; rat droppings were observed,” the authority stated. Inspectors also noted greasy, unclean, and corroded kitchen utensils, along with open drainage outlets inside the kitchen. The establishment had failed to maintain mandatory operational records.
At Mehfil Restaurant in Dilsukhnagar, inspectors found open garbage bags, damaged drainage lines, housefly infestations, and unhygienic refrigerators containing leftover food. TG SAFE stated that “10 Kg of used cooking oil” was discarded at the establishment on suspicion of repeated reuse, leading to the suspension of its food safety license.
At Lucky Restaurant in Santosh Nagar, officials reported greasy exhaust chimneys, poor drainage, stagnant wastewater mixed with food debris, spoiled vegetables, and expired food items. Inspectors suspected repeated reuse of cooking oil and found unused waste materials dumped alongside raw food ingredients in the storeroom.
Inspections also uncovered major hygiene lapses at vegetarian eateries across the city.
At Hotel Sri Raghavendra Udupi Veg on Brindavan Colony Road in Tolichowki, officials reported rat droppings, open drains clogged with food waste, houseflies, cockroaches, and inadequate ventilation and lighting. The kitchen was unhygienic, mandatory records were missing, and food handlers were working without protective clothing such as hairnets and aprons.
Similarly, at another Hotel Sri Raghavendra Udupi Veg establishment in Santosh Nagar, inspectors found heavy cockroach infestations, rotten fruits, and overflowing dustbins emitting a foul odour, alongside unhygienic kitchen, washing, and refrigeration areas.
At Hotel Akshaya Tiffins in Malakpet, officials discovered rotten potatoes and fungus-infested ginger alongside waterlogging in the kitchen. Food items were left uncovered and exposed to dust, storage containers were dirty, and pest control and employee health records were absent.
Violations were also reported across several other prominent establishments. At Al Saba Restaurant in Tolichowki, inspectors flagged the use of industrial-grade citric acid, housefly infestations, greasy chimneys, broken flooring, rusty refrigerators, peeling wall paint, and a lack of employee health and pest control records.
At Dine Hill Restaurant in Masab Tank, officials found live cockroaches, pest-infested food items, dirty utensils, unhygienic refrigerators, unlabeled food containers, and unsegregated storage of vegetarian and non-vegetarian ingredients.
At Sohail Restaurant in Malakpet, inspectors found a highly unhygienic kitchen, cockroach infestations, dirty food preparation equipment, and discarded gutka packets, noting that the flooring was broken, unclean, and slippery with black grime accumulated on the steps.
At Hotel Venkateshwara on MJR Road, inspectors found live cockroaches, stagnant water, pest infestations in rice stocks, and greasy exhaust systems. Meanwhile, Sri Balaji Family Dhaba in Gudimalkapur was ordered to suspend operations after inspectors found live cockroaches, rat droppings, spoiled vegetables, expired soft drinks, rusted iron pans, oil leaking from the ceiling, unhygienic refrigerators, and staff working without protective clothing.
Across the 22 establishments inspected, enforcement teams seized and discarded 544 kg of spoiled and contaminated vegetables, leftover food, expired products, and pest-infested ingredients. Another 13 kg of used cooking oil was disposed of on suspicion of repeated reuse, while officials collected 21 food samples on suspicion of adulteration.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
