Pregnant Woman Claims She Found a Dead Rat in Her Restaurant Salad

No one wants what she’s having. A pregnant Australian woman claimed she made a horrifying discovery while eating a side salad at Japanese restaurant Tatsuya West Ryde—a dead rat.

In a Google review, the woman shared a photo of her salad à la rodent. She also posted a pointed message to the restaurant.

“Halfway through my katsu don set, I found a dead rat in my side salad,” she wrote. “I’d eaten half of it at this point. Just absolutely revolting and unacceptable.”

“Everyone who was present at the time stood up and left the restaurant,” the reviewer continued. “What’s even more shocking is that they continued to serve food to other customers that had just arrived and weren’t aware of what had happened, when really they should have closed immediately.”

Pregnant Woman Allegedly Finds Dead Rat in Her Restaurant Meal

Her one-star review, the woman wrote, was “generous” given the circumstances.

The woman’s husband and another dining companion also posted one-star reviews alongside the same photo.

Restaurant Speaks Out After Woman Finds Dead Rat in Food

The restaurant replied to the woman’s review with a lengthy apology. They called the situation “an unexpected and deeply concerning issue” and admitted to “a serious lapse in our internal processes.”

“While we prefer not to go into graphic detail out of respect for those affected, we fully recognize that the incident occurred within our operations and may have caused distress to the customers involved, as well as to the wider community that places its trust in us,” the restaurant wrote.

“Regardless of rumours or online commentary, our position remains clear: the incident happened at our restaurant, and we take full responsibility,” they continued. “We are not focused on assigning blame or debating the source. Our priority is to take strong corrective and preventative actions to ensure something like this never happens again.”

What the Restaurant Did in Response to the Rat Incident

After the incident, the restaurant said that it reacted with “utmost seriousness.” They said they’d reported the issue to the NSW Food Authority and the City of Ryde, quarantined all related ingredients for investigation, engaged in professional pest control services, closed the restaurant for cleaning, retrained staff, and initiated internal reviews of procedures.

“We recognize that words alone are not enough,” the restaurant wrote. “Our responsibility now is to act decisively, improve our standards, and rebuild the trust that this community has placed in us. That is what we are committed to-openly, sincerely, and with lasting improvements.”

They concluded their message by offering their “heartfelt apology” for the situation.

“At Tatsuya, we hold ourselves to high standards. When we fall short, we take it seriously, and we are committed to doing better,” they wrote. “Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

In a separate comment, the restaurant claimed that the dead rat “originated from a delivered salad box which we are currently investigating with our supplier and local food authorities.”