Restaurant forced to close after 11 customers mysteriously fall ill

A restaurant in Greater Manchester has shuttered after 11 diners suddenly fell ill.

Police, ambulances and the fire service attended the scene on 6 September 2025 at Dosa Kingss on Northenden Road in Sale at around 12pm.

A spokesperson from Greater Manchester Police (GMT) said two people had required hospital treatment, with each of the affected diners suffering what was initially theorised to be an allergic reaction to food they were served.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are temporarily closed,” said Dosa Kingss in a Facebook post.

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and truly appreciate your understanding and support. We look forward to serving you again."

Dosa Kingss in Sale, Greater Manchester (Google Maps)

According to the Manchester Evening News (MEN), it’s believed that the offending ingredient may have actually been yams.

These root vegetables are often lumped in with sweet potatoes but they have their own distinctive flavour, bark-like skin, and white, yellow or purple flesh.

They’re commonly grown and eaten in Africa and Asia, and they’re a staple food for millions worldwide. When undercooked, as with many other root vegetables, they can have toxic effects.

While 11 people fell ill at once and two required treatment in hospital, police said none of the affected customers were seriously ill.

Because of the unusual number of people falling ill, the emergency services checked for a gas leak at the restaurant and promptly ruled it out.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, but diners who spoke to MEN confirmed they had eaten dishes containing yams.

"Mine was the most severe, as I might have probably had more of it unknowingly,” said one who was treated at the scene and sent to A&E as a precaution.

While this is uncorroborated at the time of writing, one Reddit user claimed to be friends with one of the affected diners and shared this message: “It seems to have been a toxin from wild yams called ‘calcium oxalate raphides’.

“Very painful, instant onset of needle-like sharp pain, numbness, and sadly for some swelling of the tongue and throat and difficulty talking too."

The message continued: “For a while it was quite scary! The road was shut because paramedics didn't initially know what was happening to so many diners simultaneously, and the fire service needed to run toxicology on the food to rule poisoning or any other issue.

Yams are often mistakenly liked to sweet potatoes (Zen Rial/Getty Images)

“I'm still in 1/10 pain to the 10/10 that struck 7 hours ago during lunch, and very relieved that it's not an allergic reaction per se, more just an acute physical response to the toxin.

“Grateful our healthcare service responded so robustly! I'm a mix of sad for the restaurant crew and a bit disappointed too, but the waiter that came outside chuckling to take snaps is in the sin bin for sure!”