Audio By Carbonatix
This January, some Phoenix restaurants had a rough start to the year.
Every month, inspectors from the Maricopa County Environmental Services department visit Valley restaurants, food trucks, markets and anywhere else that serves food. They check for a wide range of issues that threaten the safety of staff and customers.
Those issues are classified as either foundational or priority violations. Foundational violations are issues that could lead to larger problems. For example, a lack of soap can lead to improper handwashing. Priority violations pose a direct threat to health and safety.
Restaurant staff must fix the issues on the spot. If they can’t, a mandatory reinspection is scheduled for a few days later.
The health inspector’s findings are uploaded to a searchable online database where the public can search for specific restaurants by name or address, or peruse the latest inspections weekly.
Health inspectors visit businesses unannounced and at random. However, in January, several carnicerias received visits and, unfortunately, scored poorly. Issues ranged from cockroaches in the kitchen to makeshift plumbing setups.
Here are the 11 worst Phoenix restaurant inspections from January.
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Carniceria Michoacan
3549 W. Thomas Road, #104
Carniceria Michoacan didn’t have a good start to 2026. On Jan. 2, an inspector visited the shop and noted four priority violations and 10 foundational violations. A reinspection was required. An employee wearing gloves touched dirty dishes and raw meats before touching cooked carne asada, handles of utensils, sliding windows on the deli case and other clean equipment without washing their hands. Crates of tomatoes, onions and cilantro were stored directly on the floor around the hand sink, blocking the sink and exposing the food to contamination. There were deli meats with no date markings. Utensils, a vegetable peeler, knife and ladle were stored in the sani-bucket with cleaning rags. A vegetable dicer and blender were stored on the floor, in contact with standing water, food scraps and splashes from the sink. The hot deli case had broken and missing windows, exposing food. There was a buildup of food scraps, mold and dirt throughout the walk-in, on the floor, walls and storage racks. On the pitted and grooved concrete floor throughout the kitchen, the inspector noted “gray colored standing water, food spoilage, and raw meat debris.” There was also dirty cardboard and aluminum foil used to line storage racks, shelves and as non-slip mats on the floor.
Chilaquiles Modern Kitchen
1804 S. Signal Butte Road, #108, Mesa
On Jan. 5, Mesa restaurant Chilaquiles Modern Kitchen earned a whopping seven priority violations. Any restaurant with three or more priority violations essentially fails its inspection. There were raw eggs stored above sauces and tomatoes, a dirty slicer, and many foods stored at unsafe temperatures. Cooked meats and salsas were cooling at room temperature. Foods that were hot-holding weren’t hot enough to stay safe. There was old salsa and a broken hand sink. The sink had no drain connection, so when in use, it drained directly onto the floor.
Carniceria Guasave
3632 W. McDowell Road
Carniceria Guasave earned a mix of violations on Jan. 5, with the health inspector recording four priority violations and another 10 foundational violations. A reinspection was required. Among that long list, two issues with cockroaches rise to the top. The inspector found dead roaches inside a box of flour tortillas next to the prep table. And there were live roaches on the wall near the sink. By the outdoor cooking area, the hand washing sink was inoperable, with no faucet handles and cloths, a scrubbing pad and an empty bucket stored in the basin. There was an open container of raw chicken sitting on a rack among uncovered, ready-to-eat foods. The raw chicken was directly above cooked tamales and shredded beef. Food scraps and mold was found in a pan and on the vegetable dicer. Many foods, including chorizo, rice, beans, barbacoa, green chile and salsas were stored at unsafe temperatures. Raw chicharron was drying at room temperature with a fan blowing on it. The person in charge told the inspector that it was normal practice to dry the raw meat at room temperature all day, only putting it in the refrigerator overnight. There was a can of insect killer stored above the food mixer. In the sink, bagged raw meat was thawing in pools of water. A pair of tongs was stored on the rim of the trash can, with the tongs touching trash. There were chemicals, including paints, solvents and glues, next to the tortilla-making machine. And the kitchen was generally messy and dirty, with trash accumulated by the back door and “grease, food pieces, dead insects and organic matter” throughout.
Carniceria El Toro Charolais
6402 W. Glendale Ave. #1, Glendale
Glendale meat shop Carniceria El Toro Charolais was visited by the health department on Jan. 6, resulting in four priority violations and a mandatory reinspection. Many foods, including cooked chicken wings, shredded beef and cheese-filled chiles, were stored at unsafe temperatures. There were no dates marked on any of the food items. Tamales, raw marinated ceviche, carnitas, barbacoa, deli meats and other food items were stored in open containers. The hot deli case had misfitted doors that were too small to properly enclose the case. And there was no functional mop sink. Instead, workers were using the prep sink to discard dirty mop water and using the backed-up mop sink to store baking sheets. There were also perforated ceiling tiles over the self-serve salsa bar and ice cream station.
Carniceria Rancho Alegre
4340 W. McDowell Road, #35
Carniceria Rancho Alegre was visited by the health department on Jan. 7. The inspector noted three priority violations and seven foundational violations. They scheduled a mandatory reinspection. Chicken soup and chicharron were stored at unsafe temperatures. In-use tongs were stored on the oven handles, touching dirty surfaces. An entire ladle, including the handle, was submerged in a stew. The employee toilet, which opens directly to the food prep area and cook line, had a gap along the bottom of the door. There were food scraps and dirt accumulated along the corners of the room, a pitted concrete floor and missing ceiling tiles. In the walk-in, there were dirty walls and storage racks.
Coop’s Bar & Grill
8455 W. Peoria Ave., Peoria
A Jan. 7 inspection at Coop’s Bar & Grill resulted in the owner agreeing to close the kitchen until repairs could be made. The restaurant earned three priority violations and a mandatory reinspection. There was slime in the ice machine, foods including deli meats and rice with no date markings and chemical spray bottles with no labels. Raw chicken in freezer bags was thawing at room temperature. The three-compartment sink had improper plumbing and the drain for the hand sink and the dishwashing machine was clogged and unusable. The owner agreed to close the kitchen until the plumbing was repaired.
The Breakfast Club
4400 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
Scottsdale brunch spot The Breakfast Club earned five priority violations and a mandatory reinspection on a Jan. 14 inspection. A cook wearing gloves cracked raw eggs and resumed cooking without washing their hands. Another cook touched their face with gloved hands, and then resumed cooking. The dishwasher rinsed dirty dishes, placed them in the dishwasher and then touched clean dishes without washing their hands. An employee added celery to bloody marys with bare hands. Black beans, fresh juices, raw eggs and hollandaise sauce were stored at unsafe temperatures.
Taiwanese Scallion Pancake
739 E. Dunlap Ave.
A mobile food vendor called Taiwanese Scallion Pancake earned three priority violations on a Jan. 19 inspection. There was no handwashing sink and no dish sink or setup. Dumplings kept in a chafing pan weren’t hot enough to remain at a safe temperature. And multiple items were found at room temperature, including raw eggs, pork filling, raw chicken and raw beef.
Chen Wok Express
8115 N. 19th Ave., Suite A102
On Jan. 21, an inspector stopped by Chen Wok Express on 19th Avenue. There, they found three priority violations and scheduled a mandatory reinspection. Raw chicken and beef were stored above cooked chicken and imitation crab in the reach-in cooler, a second repeat violation for the restaurant. There were Lysol and grill-cleaning chemicals in unlabeled bottles. A scoop was stored in a flour bin with the handle touching the flour. Sausage was stored in to-go bags in the freezer. There was a makeshift contraption with a plastic tub with a hole cut in the bottom used to catch and drain water from the wok range to the floor sink. On a kitchen hand sink, there was an “accumulation of organic matter” on the handles. And the kitchen area, overall, was in need of a deep clean. The inspector noted dust around the air ducts, food debris beneath and behind cooking equipment, coolers and freezers and an accumulation of grease on the wall.
Carniceria La Constancia
1109 E. Main St., #103 Mesa
Carniceria La Constancia earned three priority violations and a mandatory reinspection after a Jan. 23 visit from the health department. The inspector watched staff touch tortillas, grilled tomatoes and vegetables with bare hands. And those hands could not have been recently washed at the one hand sink in the deli, which was blocked with chairs. The plumbing was also disconnected, with water running onto the ground, and the hot water was not working. In addition, there were no paper towels or soap. Elsewhere in the kitchen, tortillas were stored underneath raw meat in the cooler. In the walk-in, raw meat was above open pans of cooked carnitas. Another cooler storing food wasn’t working. And the clean aprons for employees were hung near the toilet.
Ramen Hood
15807 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. #105, Scottsdale
On January 26, a health inspector visited Ramen Hood in Scottsdale. There, they found four priority violations, multiple of which were repeat issues. An employee returned from the restroom, donned gloves and began working with kitchen equipment without washing their hands. At the sink, dishes were soaking in a sanitizer solution without any sanitizing chemicals, and noodles were found on the cooking and counter with temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees, when they should have been under 41 degrees. Both of these were noted to be the third consecutive time these issues were recorded. A second-time violation was recorded when the inspector found boxes of packaged meats stored on the ground. Inside the freezer, raw pork was stored in to-go bags, which aren’t safe for direct food contact.
