Hyderabad food safety teams suspended the licences of 14 restaurants and eating establishments on Saturday, 31 October 2026, and told them to stop business at once in the interest of public health. Eight other establishments received show cause notices after inspections across the Golconda and Charminar zones of the city.
The Hyderabad food safety drive was carried out by the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs, known as TG SAFE. Twenty two enforcement teams made up of food safety officers and police personnel inspected 22 establishments, so every outlet visited on Saturday ended the day facing either a suspension or a notice.
Hyderabad food safety inspectors reported unhygienic kitchens, cockroach and housefly infestations, rat droppings, rotten vegetables, fungal contamination, expired food products and improper storage of food items. They collected 21 food samples on suspicion of adulteration and discarded 544 kg of spoiled or contaminated vegetables, leftover food, expired products and pest infested food, along with 13 kg of used cooking oil suspected of repeated use.
Hyderabad food safety suspensions across two zones
The 14 establishments whose licences were suspended included Hotel Sri Raghavendra Udupi Veg outlets at Tolichowki and Santoshnagar, Lucky Restaurant at Santoshnagar, Shah Ghouse Cafe at Shahalibanda, Hotel Nayaab at Nayapul, Sri Balaji Family Dhaba at Gudimalkapur, Siddique Kabab Central Kitchen at Gudimalkapur, Alsaba Hotel at Tolichowki, Mehfil Restaurant at Dilsukhnagar, Dine Hill Restaurant at Masab Tank, Sohail Restaurant and Hotel Akshaya Tiffins at Malakpet, Hotel Venkateshwara on MJR Road, and Aeezebo The Royal Arabian Restaurant at Salar Jung Colony, Rethibowli.
At Siddique Kabab Central Kitchen, officials found live cats roaming inside the kitchen, heavy housefly infestation and rat droppings. At Aeezebo, cockroaches were found in the drinking water storage tank, while vegetables showed fungal contamination. At Shah Ghouse Cafe, inspectors reported workers consuming gutka or pan masala, along with food affected by pests and fungal contamination.
The Hyderabad food safety teams also recorded damaged or waterlogged floors, greasy exhaust systems, unclean refrigerators, raw meat stored alongside vegetarian food and uncovered food items. The suspended outlets cannot sell food until the suspension is lifted, which will depend on lab results and hearings on the findings.
Hyderabad food safety notices for eight more outlets
The eight establishments issued show cause notices were Taj Falaknuma Palace, Golconda Hotel and Resorts at Masab Tank, Hotel Sabzi near Itebar Chowk, Mandi at 36 Arabian Kitchen at Charminar, Pista House at Shahalibanda, Sweekar Hotel at Santoshnagar, Imperial Multicuisine Restaurant at Tolichowki and Taiba Bakery on Bazarghat Main Road. A show cause notice asks a business to explain why it should not be penalised, and it is not itself a finding against the business.
At Taj Falaknuma Palace, inspectors found expired and mislabelled food items and pest infestation, according to an official source. Frozen meat was reportedly being stored with a stated shelf life of 90 days without proper shelf life studies. Cooking oil tested at the establishment recorded total polar compounds of 27, above the permissible limit of 25.
TG SAFE issued a show cause notice requiring the management of Taj Falaknuma Palace to appear and explain the violations. The other seven outlets on the notice list face the same process, with further administrative penalties pending on the outcome of lab tests and hearings.
Hyderabad food safety advice for diners after the drive
Following the inspections, the Food Safety Wing issued a public advisory asking diners to check whether outlets display valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India licences. The Hyderabad food safety drive covered hotels, restaurants, bakeries, central kitchens and smaller eateries in the Old City and nearby areas, including Charminar, Shahalibanda, Falaknuma, Tolichowki, Santoshnagar, Masab Tank, Gudimalkapur, Malakpet, Dilsukhnagar and Lakdikapool.
The Hyderabad food safety action is part of a wider enforcement stance in Telangana, where the state food safety agency has used coordinated Saturday drives to inspect whole zones at once rather than single outlets. The scale of the 31 October drive, with 22 teams moving at the same time, meant findings were published together on the agency’s social media cards on the night of the inspections.
For the 14 outlets hit by the Hyderabad food safety suspensions, the immediate effect is closure, with reputational and financial pressure until they can prove compliance. For the eight outlets on notice, the next step is a hearing, where lab results from the 21 samples collected will carry weight. TG SAFE has said the outlets could face fines or licence revocations after those tests and hearings, depending on what the results show.