A Chinese restaurant in a popular holiday district has been shut down after allegedly serving pigeons instead of roast duck. The Jin Gu restaurant in Madrid’s Usera neighbourhood was raided by Spanish police last month following complaints about hygiene and suspicious food handling practices.

Officers said they discovered cooked and plucked street pigeons being passed off as duck, alongside other serious breaches of health regulations. Authorities described “disturbing” conditions inside the restaurant, including rusty equipment, poor hygiene and a lack of food safety measures. Several freezers were found in disrepair and stuffed with unlabelled meat and fish, according to local media reports.

Inspectors also found cockroaches in the kitchen, rat traps scattered across the floors, and no thermometers to check storage temperatures, the Daily Mail reported. 

Some of the cookware was allegedly corroded and deemed unsafe for use.

The investigation also uncovered a hidden room behind a shelf in the disabled toilet. 

Police said this area was not listed in the restaurant’s official licence and was being used to store additional items.

Among the prohibited items found on site were sea cucumbers, which are protected under marine conservation laws and cannot be served or sold without strict permits.

In response to the findings, Madrid health authorities ordered the immediate closure of the restaurant on March 25. 

The business owner is now under investigation for alleged public health offences.

Police footage taken during the raid has been widely shared online, showing raw meat hanging from makeshift drying racks and tubs filled with what appear to be street pigeons.

The case has sparked outrage locally, especially in Usera, an area often visited by tourists and food lovers for its wide range of Asian cuisine.

Local authorities said the restaurant had committed serious food safety breaches and confirmed it would remain shut while investigations continue.