Dead rat and beef tartare issues among reasons for FSAI closure orders

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025 - 11:32

Imasha Costa

A Dublin restaurant operating under the Fitzwilliam Hotel Group was issued a closure order by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and ordered to stop preparing and serving raw beef dishes, including beef tartare.

Cellar 22 and Floritz, located on St Stephen's Green, were ordered to suspend two activities on October 1 under EU food legislation.

The closure was one of 13 enforcement orders issued to food businesses across Ireland last month by the FSAI.

According to the report, the inspector spoke to the chef responsible for preparing the beef tartare.

"He confirmed that the beef was taken out of the supplier's packaging, diced, and then vacuum-packed again using the raw meat vacuum packer," said the report.

It added that “several critical food safety controls” had not been implemented. The restaurant’s ‘sear and shave’ procedure requires searing the outside of the beef at 200°C for at least 30 seconds, followed by shaving off the seared surface before dicing — a crucial step to destroy surface bacteria. The report said, “the beef was not seared at all (whether by pan, oven, grill, or deep-frying) before dicing.”

The beef was also vacuum-packed using equipment designated for raw meat only, creating an additional risk of cross-contamination.

"The chef making the beef tartare confirmed he had not been trained on the specialised preparation policy," the report said.

"This is a repeat failure to correctly process raw beef for consumption and was previously brought to [the restaurant's] attention" on April 16, 2024, the report added.

The FSAI said the order was lifted on October 2.

Another closure order was served on The Lunch Bag Unlimited Company at Educate Together National School, Clontarf West, Dublin, under the FSAI Act 1998.

In their report, the inspector noted that staff confirmed seeing a rat in the kitchen in recent days, and that no one had been trained to stop food handling after such a discovery.

The report said the kitchen conditions posed a “grave and immediate danger to public health”, making the food unsafe for children due to the presence of rodents. The order has not yet been lifted, the FSAI said.

A third closure order was issued to Kimchi Hop House on Parnell Street, Dublin, under the FSAI Act 1998, after a dead rat was found under a dishwasher in the kitchen.

The inspector said they found further evidence of rodent activity, including rat droppings on the floor in the main kitchen, sushi kitchen, and service area.

The order was lifted on November 11.

Six other premises were served with closure orders under the FSAI Act 1998:

The Crescent Stores, Clonmel, Tipperary — store room and adjoining corridor closed on October 21; lifted on October 24.
Corrib Oil Spar Express, Castlerea, Roscommon — closed on October 20; lifted on October 22.
West Wing Restaurant, Tuam, Galway — closed on October 20; lifted on October 23.
Based Wood Fired Pizza — closed on October 10; lifted on October 13, but currently under appeal.
Camile Thai, Dolphin’s Barn, Dublin — closed on October 8; lifted on October 10.
Top 3 Chinese, Stillorgan — closed on October 7; lifted on October 10.

Separately, two closure orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations 2020:

Diamond Pizza (Restaurant/Café), 163 Drumcondra Road Lower, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 — closed on October 15; lifted on October 21.
Nua Bia (Service Sector), Poppintree Sports Centre, Balbutcher Lane, Ballymun, Dublin 11 — closed on October 3; not yet lifted.

Additionally, two prohibition orders were issued under the same EU regulations to: