Dirty Westminster café inside Central London Tube station hit with zero food hygiene rating over mouldy food

Council inspectors handed Temple Bar Café along Victoria Embankment a food hygiene rating of zero out of five after coming across “unfit food” in the rear fridge, and a wash basin which had not been plumbed in, a food hygiene report shows.

A Westminster City Council inspector visited the Temple site on February 11 and inspected the kitchen, store room, staff toilet and front service counter.

They found two opened Onken Natural yoghurt tubs with best before dates of December 23, 2024, and January 23, 2025 in a rear fridge. They noticed mould growing in them and a “bad smell”. They also found a separate container of mouldy tomato and mascarpone sauce.

Staff were found to be unaware of food allergens or have paperwork showing whether they appeared in food being offered on the menu.

They also found a range of tubs and squeezy bottles without proper labelling and a bottle of mayonnaise and Cajun sauce left at room temperature, which the inspector said could result in the growth of bacteria like Salmonella.

The inspector said “unfit” food in the rear fridge showed weekly checks by staff “have no/little veracity'”. Inspectors said they would visit the site again four weeks later and warned further non-compliance would result in a hygiene improvement notice.

A hygiene improvement notice is a legal notice requiring a business to make changes within a certain timeframe. Other issues the inspector encountered included:

• Cooked sausages and bacon left out at room temperature
• A staff member not wearing an apron
• Personal hygiene and fitness to work ‘safe method’ not being adhered to
• Electric insect killer device in the kitchen not working
• Dirt build-up on a bench-mounted can opener
• Items of “structural disrepair” in the kitchen and storeroom
• Food safety management paperwork not filled in

Inspectors said they also did not witness the manager wash his hands during the inspection. They warned against keeping the front door open saying this risked pests such as mice, rats, flies and pigeons entering. They found no evidence of a pest infestation., though.

There was no notice informing customers that food was being cooked in oil made from genetically modified soya.

According to TripAdvisor reviews by customers, Temple Bar has a rating of 2.9 out of five. In November, one regular customer wrote: “New owners. Hiked prices. Door open in all weathers because kitchen extractors not working – this has been going on for weeks. I have been coming here for years. No more.”

In April, Suresh B wrote: “2 out of 5, very slow, not clean. Not enough staff and outside tables always dirty and looks very dated, not inviting. This place has potential but not the way it is, need improvement in many ways.”

However another, who gave five stars, wrote: “Delicious hot curry! Totally unexpected due to location. Very fair London prices and would definitely recommend if you fancy something tasty and hot! Very friendly staff!”

The bar has a Google rating of 4.2 stars. Bhavinkumar Inamdar and Krish Aziz Virani have run the café since October 1, 2024, according to Companies House. Temple Bar Café was contacted for comment but had not replied at the time of publication.