A judge fined a Devon restaurant owner £17,500 for food hygiene offences and said only rats and mice were safe to eat there.
Exeter Crown Court heard preparation and cooking areas at the Indian restaurant in Exeter had rat droppings on them.
The owner of the restaurant admitted five charges under the Food Hygiene Act.
The Judge told him: "In my mind the only beings safe to eat in the premises were the rats and mice."
Exeter City Council prosecuted the owner of the restaurant after he had failed to comply with standards for over 16 years.
The restaurant did not close down as the Judge felt that it would not be appropriate as the owner had cleaned up his act.