Archive · 18 Sep 2026
Mumbai's Olympia Coffee House loses licence over hygiene violations
Food officials in Maharashtra temporarily suspended the licence of Olympia Coffee House in Mumbai.
They inspected the cafe after a customer complained about hygiene.
Officials said they found a urinal near stored food, insects, dirty water, and meat-and-blood residue in a refrigerator.
They also said some food was placed directly on the floor.
The cafe's vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods were not properly separated.
Many workers had not completed required food-safety training.
Important water-testing and cleaning records were also missing.
The cafe must fix the problems and pass another inspection before its licence can be reconsidered.
The action was part of a larger inspection campaign across the state.
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration suspended Olympia Coffee House's licence after a consumer complaint and a September 16 inspection.
Inspectors reported a urinal in the food-storage area, cockroaches and flies, meat-and-blood residue in a refrigerator, and food handled on the floor.
The FDA also cited unclean water, unhygienic preparation and utensil-washing facilities, damaged chopping boards, and poor separation of raw vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
The agency said 34 of Olympia's 35 food handlers lacked mandatory training, while water-testing reports and sanitation records were unavailable.
The suspension was part of a wider Maharashtra crackdown in which 14 of 27 inspected establishments lost their licences and dairy products suspected of adulteration were seized.
- Who
- The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration, led by Tukaram Mundhe, acted against Olympia Coffee House and other food establishments.
- What
- The FDA suspended Olympia Coffee House's food licence over reported hygiene, food-handling, training, and record-keeping violations.
- When
- The inspection took place on September 16; reports differed on whether the suspension was announced on Wednesday or Thursday.
- Where
- Olympia Coffee House is in Colaba, Mumbai; related enforcement actions covered establishments across Maharashtra.
- Why
- The action followed a consumer complaint and findings involving pests, sanitation failures, unsafe food handling, inadequate training, and missing records.
- Establishment
- Olympia Coffee House, a 108-year-old cafe in Colaba, Mumbai.
- Inspection
- Conducted on September 16 after a consumer complaint, during the FDA's Safe Food Safe Maharashtra campaign.
- Food handlers
- The FDA said 34 of 35 food handlers had not completed mandatory food-safety training.
- Reported violations
- A urinal in the food-storage area, pest infestation, meat-and-blood residue, unclean water, floor-level food handling, and inadequate food separation.
- Licence status
- Food purchasing, preparation, storage, sale, and distribution were ordered to stop until deficiencies are corrected and a re-inspection is completed.
- Wider enforcement
- Licences were suspended at 14 of 27 inspected establishments across Maharashtra.
- Statewide seizures
- The FDA said it seized 2,813 kilograms of milk and dairy products worth Rs 7,38,230.
Sources
'This Place Is Freaking Pathetic': Mumbaikars Shocked Over Olympia Cafe's Licence Suspension After Toilet Found In Food Storage Area
Mumbai's century-old Olympia Coffee House loses licence after FDA finds urinal in food storage area
Urinal In Food Storage Area, Cockroaches In Kitchen: Iconic Mumbai Cafe Loses Licence
Mumbai's Olympia Coffee House, where Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon had chai, faces FDA licence suspension; here's why
‘Meat blood residue’: FDA shuts Mumbai’s 108-year-old Olympia Coffee House canteen
Maharashtra FDA Suspends Licences of Nair Hospital Canteen, Olympia in Colaba
