Mold and dirty water: The 5 worst Phoenix restaurant inspections in December

Many of us take a break over the holidays, but not Maricopa County health inspectors. Throughout the busy holiday season, restaurant cleanliness is essential and health inspectors fan out around the Valley, checking in on local kitchens to make sure everything is clean and safe.

The inspectors score restaurants on a two-tier scale, recording foundation violations and priority violations. Foundation violations are problems that could lead to a larger issue, like how a lack of soap could cause improper hand washing. Priority violations are larger issues that pose a direct threat to staff or customers. Restaurants must address any issues on the spot, and if they can’t, the health department schedules a reinspection a few days later.

All of the health inspectors’ reports are uploaded into a searchable online database, where the public can search specific locations or browse the most recently inspected restaurants.

In December, most Valley restaurants stayed on the nice list. But some spots definitely earned coal for Christmas. Here are the five worst Phoenix restaurant inspections from last month.

KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
1940 W. Rio Salado Pkwy, Mesa
On Dec. 3, a health inspector stopped by KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot in Mesa and found four priority violations. The inspector watched an employee come in from outside, put on gloves and start working with food, without washing their hands. There was an unlabeled spray bottle of chemicals in the storage area that the employees and manager couldn’t identify. And there was an “insect stunning device” and multiple fly strips hanging in the food prep area.

All American Modern Sports Grill
20751 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale
Scottsdale’s All American Modern Sports Grill earned three priority violations on Dec. 3. A health inspector recorded multiple possibilities for cross-contamination in the walk-in cooler, including raw tuna stored above cooked pork ribs, raw ground beef stored over tuna and raw bacon stored over cooked crab cakes. There were also issues with temperatures. Many items, including shrimp, crab cakes, salmon, chicken, sour cream, cheddar cheese and salsa, were too warm. Foods that were above safe temperatures were found in different areas across the kitchen, in the reach-in fridge, the sushi station cooler and the expo cooler.

Hash Kitchen
3919 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert
On Dec. 8, the Gilbert location of local chain Hash Kitchen was visited by the health department. It racked up three priority violations. There was no soap at a hand sink in the kitchen and raw eggs were stored above cooked bacon. On the restaurant’s signature build-your-own bloody mary bar, cheese was piled too high, meaning it was far from the ice supposedly keeping it cool, leading it to rise to unsafe temperatures. In the kitchen, other items that were found to be above safe temperatures included liquid egg, chopped tomato and lettuce. An employee explained that the heat lamps above the grill across from the prep table cause the temperatures to rise, acknowledging a known problem. There were also multiple fruit flies throughout “all areas” of the restaurant.

South Mountain Assisted Living
6420 S. 22nd St.
Health inspectors don’t just visit restaurants. They routinely check in on any establishment that serves food, including South Mountain Assisted Living on Dec. 8. The facility earned three priority violations and a letter “D” grade. In the pantry and reach-in fridge, the inspector found moldy lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, blueberries, grapes, sweet potatoes and bread. In the cooler, raw eggs were stored above cooked pasta, apples, salad and other foods. The three-compartment sink wasn’t draining properly and was spilling onto the floor, with buckets being used to catch the dirty water. And lastly, the inspector noted food debris and trash throughout the kitchen, around and behind the refrigerators, dry storage racks, stove, prep tables and sinks.

EVO Restaurant
15507 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
The north Scottsdale location of EVO earned five priority violations and a mandatory reinspection on a Dec. 10 visit from the health department. The inspector watched a bartender touch ice for drinks with their bare hands. A dishwashing machine in the bar area was washing dishes without any chlorine cleaner, and there were no test strips available for checking the machine. And in an ice well at the bar, there were multiple glass bottles of mixers and an ice scoop stored in the ice used for customers’ drinks. In the kitchen, there were live clams and mussels without the required paperwork. In the prep coolers and charcuterie station, cut kale, cooked beef and cooked short rib were found at unsafe temperatures. Lasagna portions were found at 64 degrees, sitting on top of the oven. Lastly, a broken hand-washing sink near the pizza station was filled with standing water and wrapped in plastic to prevent use.