An Auckland cafe threatened with closure by Auckland Council over an unpaid rates bill of nearly $1 million is being investigated for potentially trading without a licence.
Rupa’s Cafe, located on Wellington St in Freemans Bay, announced in June it was closing after more than 70 years, with its last day of trading to be July 4.
A poster in the cafe’s window had invited customers to come enjoy their “favourite samosa, chai or curry with us one more time” during its final two weeks.
“We are so grateful for your love, your laughs, your stories, and your presence in our little corner of Freemans Bay,” the poster – signed off by owner Dilip Kumar Rupa and staff – said.
“Let’s share one last smile, a warm hug, and say not goodbye – but see you again.”
However, a food safety officer from Auckland Council visited the cafe today after suggestions it may still be operating without a valid food licence.
On Friday, the cafe appeared to be trading again, with an “Open” sign on display and freshly baked food in the cabinet.
A Herald worker who called in for a coffee said there were about six other customers in the cafe.
However, no one answered when the Herald called the cafe today.
The council confirmed an inspector was dispatched to the business this morning but it appeared to be shut.
“Since the food registration for Rupa’s Cafe at 103 Wellington St, Freemans Bay was cancelled in June 2025, the council has received no subsequent application for a new food registration for a cafe or other food business at that address,” the council’s team leader for Environmental Health Response, Alan Ahmu, said.
“We were unaware of the alleged reopening of a cafe at the address.
“A council food service officer visited the Wellington St site, formerly Rupa’s Cafe, this morning at around 10am and found the property to be closed with no one on site and a closed sign posted at the front door. A further site investigation will be made within two days.”
Rupa, a controversial figure in Auckland’s hospitality scene, has had run-ins with Auckland Council and WorkSafe over unpaid property taxes and compliance violations.
Rupa was the first person to be prosecuted by WorkSafe for failing to display Covid-19 QR codes during the pandemic.
“My main objection to the QR code is no one knows what the coding is … there’s no security and there’s no knowledge of where this QR coding is going," Rupa told the Herald at the time.
He was ultimately fined $1500 after a 2022 trial was held in his absence, with Judge Stephen Bonnar, KC, ruling Rupa “held strong views” about the legality of the provisions and made an intentional choice not to comply.
The Rupa family also defied paying the rates on their Freemans Bay cafe and two Grey Lynn private homes over several years in a bitter stand-off with the council.
With the combined unpaid rates bill on their properties growing to $350,000 by 2021, the council began court proceedings to try to recoup the missed payments.
In September last year, the Herald revealed the outstanding rates and associated penalties had ballooned to a record $876,623.65 - $662,179.06 for the cafe and $214,444.59 for the family home – leading the council to pursue a forced sale of the Rupa family’s properties.
The council struck a last-minute deal with the Rupa family over the bill in April, although the details of it remain protected under confidentiality obligations.
Opened 72 years ago by Rupa’s parents as a general store, Rupa’s Cafe built a loyal base of customers over the years as a Freemans Bay institution.
The neighbourhood cafe was known for its coffee and chai, serving up a mix of Indian dishes – including what Cuisine‘s Ginny Grant called “some of the best samosas in Auckland”.