Herald NOW: Daily News Update: June 19 2025. Video / Herald NOW
An iconic Auckland cafe once threatened with forced closure by Auckland Council over an unpaid rates bill of nearly $1 million has announced it will be closing.
Rupa’s Cafe, located on Wellington St in Freemans Bay, has set its last day of trading as Friday, July 4.
A poster, seenby the Herald on the cafe’s window today, announced Rupa’s Cafe will be “closing its doors after 70 years”.
It invited customers to come enjoy their “favourite samosa, chai or curry with us one more time” over the next 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.”
A poster confirming the closure of Rupa's Cafe seen on June 19.
A staff member was asked why the cafe was facing closure but they declined to divulge, saying: “I wouldn’t give you anything, love.”
Rupa, a controversial figure in Auckland’s hospitality scene, has had run-ins with both the 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 when they were required for businesses and events.
“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.
Rupa's Cafe owner, Dilip Rupa. Photo / Dean Purcell
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 have 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.
Rupa's Cafe's final day of trading will be July 4. Photo / Michael Craig
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.
Opened 72 years ago by Rupa’s parents as a general store, Rupa’s Cafe has built a loyal base of customers over the years as a Freemans Bay institution.
The neighbourhood cafe is known for its coffee and chai, and serves up a mix of Indian dishes - including what Cuisine‘s Ginny Grant called “some of the best samosas in Auckland” - alongside typical breakfast fare.
