A restaurant chain popular for its Caribbean food and rum-based cocktails has been slapped with a low food hygiene rating after inspectors found mice droppings under a fridge.

Rum Kitchen in Shoreditch scored just one out of five following a visit from Food Standards Agency inspectors on April 27, 2023.

Inspectors found “a number of issues” including mice droppings under storage, in the boiler room and underneath one of the fridges.

The mouse infestation was so bad that some had been caught in traps within the 24 hours leading up to the time of the inspection, a report seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service shows.

During the visit inspectors discovered “a build up of dirt and debris” in the storage area and the shelf life of food items had been incorrectly labelled by staff.

Inspectors advised staff to carry out a deep clean to get rid of any mouse droppings and said all floors and areas where droppings are found are to be cleaned daily as part of the restaurant’s ongoing cleaning schedule.

They also said the venue should arrange an urgent visit from its pest controller following reports of mice which had been recently caught in traps and were placed down by Rum Kitchen staff.

Inspectors went on to say in the report: “Ensure staff are trained to conduct internal pest checks.

“There is evidence that these are not being effectively made, checks for last two days have been completed, however there is evidence of pest activity and staff are aware of these issues.”

On repairs, inspectors said flooring in the kitchen area needed to be fixed and the storage area needed a new strip light fitted.

Inspectors instructed the restaurant to carry out more deep cleans under units in the ground floor kitchen and said the restaurant must ensure there is an “adequate” supply of hand soap and paper towels at all wash basis.

Rum Kitchen has three restaurants in London which are in Shoreditch, Brixton and Soho while a fourth restaurant is located in Brighton.

The food is inspired by Caribbean dishes and the drinks menu has a wide selection of rum-based cocktails.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted Rum Kitchen for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.