Every month, Maricopa County Health Inspectors fan out around the Valley, visiting restaurants, bars, cafeterias and food trucks to make sure everyone from cooks to customers stays healthy and safe.
Inspectors record problems at restaurants on two levels. Violations are issues that lead to larger problems. For example, a lack of soap at the sink can cause improper hand washing. Priority Violations are more serious issues that cause a direct threat to staff or food safety. The inspectors can also rank restaurants on a letter grade scale, determined by the number of violations in each category.
The inspection reports are uploaded to the Maricopa County Environmental Services website. The online database is accessible to the public and users can search individual restaurants or view inspections by the week.
In April, one restaurant saw a whopping eight priority violations. Multiple spots were home to unwanted pests, and others decided against handwashing altogether. Here are the worst Phoenix restaurant inspections in April.
Stellar 66
1817 E. Baseline Road #103, Gilbert Things aren't going well at Stellar 66 in Gilbert. The Chinese restaurant and dumpling house has consistently had health inspection issues, which continued last month. On April 2, it earned eight priority violations and a mandatory reinspection. Issues started small, with no soap or paper towels at the handwashing sinks. Things escalated quickly when the inspector "observed two whole lamb heads with organs cooking on the cook line. Per PIC (person in charge), the lamb was purchased from a backyard slaughterhouse in Laveen," the inspection said.
The restaurant could not provide a receipt for the lamb, and further investigation found that it was purchased from a meat processor for home distribution. The meat cannot legally be served in a restaurant.
Two plastic containers of Peking duck spice blend were stored on the floor underneath the sink, where the sink, plus spray from cleaning the floors and barbecue racks, was dripping into the food. There were all kinds of cross-contamination problems, including cooked Peking ducks touching pans of raw fish. A dirty meat slicer had a "heavy accumulation" of raw beef, leading the inspector to condemn the equipment.
Tofu, rice, fried chicken, raw beef throat, shrimp, eggs, cut cabbage, bok choi, cooked bean sprouts and cooked bok choi were all stored at unsafe temperatures. And there were no date marks on any foods in the walk-in cooler, indicating when they were made.
A reinspection was scheduled for April 10, which the restaurant didn't pass. Another reinspection was scheduled for April 11, where the issues were finally checked off. In October 2024, Stellar 66 was visited by a health inspector who noted five priority violations, many of the same nature.
New India Bazaar
2544 N. Seventh St., #101 New India Bazaar on Seventh Street got a visit from the health inspector on April 2. The market and restaurant had three priority violations and earned itself a mandatory reinspection. Directly under the paper towel dispenser in the kitchen, a live cockroach crawled along the wall. Raw chicken and lamb were stored above cooked chicken and rice pudding. Two employees with gloves on rinsed cloths, wiped tables, rinsed equipment and then prepped food without changing their gloves or washing their hands. There was also an employee with a "buildup of organic matter" on their gloves and forearms.
Chili's Grill & Bar
400 W. University Drive, Tempe Located just off the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Chili's didn't make the grade. On an April 3 visit, a health inspector found three priority violations and gave the restaurant a "D." The inspector watched an employee on the cookline handle a cooked hamburger patty with their bare hands. An employee was also seen "rubbing blood and residue from raw hamburger patties on (their) apron," according to the report. There were multiple pieces of dirty equipment. Spoons and tongs for lemons were stored with their handles directly in the fruit, and a bag of macaroni and cheese was sitting out at room temperature.
Persian Room
17040 N. Scottsdale Road On an April 10 inspection at the Persian Room on Scottsdale Road, the inspector noted multiple cross-contamination concerns. A chef unwrapped raw chicken skewers and placed them on the grill, then unwrapped raw beef skewers, and then touched the walk-in door handle to grab more. Another chef unwrapped raw chicken skewers and then touched clean plates and pita bread without washing their hands. A server grabbed a stack of pita with their bare hands. Food was held at improper temperatures and the meat grinder was stored dirty. The restaurant earned a total of four priority violations and a mandatory reinspection. Sushi Brokers
350 N. Gilbert Road, Gilbert All restaurants need to be clean. But it's especially important for restaurants serving raw seafood. On an April 15 inspection, Sushi Brokers in Gilbert earned three priority violations and a mandatory reinspection after the inspector found cockroaches. The report noted "one large live roach in the back of house, several dead roaches in the back of house, and one dead roach at the sushi bar area."There was no soap at the handwashing sink, which was then found to be turned off entirely due to a leak. Raw calamari and eggs were stored above ready-to-eat foods in the cookline coolers. Chicken and raw fish were held at unsafe temperatures. There was a dirty can opener and an "accumulation of trash and food debris" under the front bar and underneath equipment and in food storage areas in the back.
Black Rock Coffee Bar
1694 E. Riggs Road, Gilbert On April 21, a health inspector visited Black Rock Coffee Bar in Gilbert. There, they watched an employee touch their hair and headset and then make drinks without washing their hands. Multiple types of milk and whipped cream cheese were sitting out at room temperature. All of the portable ice bins were found with the scoop handles touching the ice. And bottles of chemicals, including toilet bowl cleaner, were stored above the to-go cups and lids. Kneaders Bakery & Cafe
5155 E. Baseline Road, Gilbert On April 28, mold and flies led Kneaders Bakery & Cafe in Gilbert to three priority violations and a letter "D" grade. The inspector noted "many fruit flies" in the kitchen, "concentrated at the mop sink and surrounding food preparation areas." The flies were likely the result of "several harborage conditions," the report noted, such as standing water and an accumulation of food debris on the floors, walls and kitchen equipment. On pastry racks in the baking area, there was a "heavy accumulation of black and grey organic growth." More mold was found on the walk-in shelves and in the floor drain behind the oven. A prep sink was draining into a bucket, which also had "organic matter."
