Old food, black growth: Worst April Triangle restaurant scores (+ reinspections)
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Multiple Triangle restaurants were reinspected in April and received A grades.
- Wake, Durham, Chatham and Johnston restaurants showed score increases.
- Inspections cited violations including improper storage, handwashing lapses, other issues.
Six Triangle restaurants received A grades after previously receiving lower sanitation scores when inspected by county health officials.
State law requires health departments to inspect restaurants up to four times a year to assess their overall risk factors that contribute to foodborne illnesses.
You’ve likely seen sanitation grade cards at restaurants you’ve visited, and The N&O previously explained what those scores mean and how they’re calculated.
The N&O reviewed restaurants with less than an A grade who were reinspected in April.
Restaurants in Chatham, Johnston and Orange counties all received an A grade in April.
Wake County
The following Wake County restaurants were reinspected:
- JP’s Biryani (9825 Chapel Hill Road, Suite F, Morrisville) received a score of 94% on Tuesday, April 28. Earlier in the month, they received a score of 85.5% after inspectors found “thick black encrusted residue/growth” in two food prep sinks and raw chicken held in containers above allowable temperatures, among other violations.
- Sushi Thai Restaurant (2432 Wycliff Road, Raleigh) received a score of 94.5% on Friday, April 24. In late March, they received a score of 76.5% after inspectors found employees that handled raw chicken and cooked food without washing their hands and sushi not stored at proper temperatures, among other violations.
Durham County
The following Durham County restaurants were reinspected:
- Asian Kitchen (1125 W. NC Highway 54, Suite 801, Durham) received a score of 93.5% on Tuesday, April 21. Earlier in the month, they received a score of 84.5% after inspectors found a live road near a meat prep sink and raw chicken stored above cooked ribs in a cooler, among other violations.
- Dame’s Chicken & Waffles (455 S. Driver St., Durham) received a score of 93% on Monday, April 13. Earlier in the month, they received a score of 88.5% after county employees “observed bags of flour and containers of oil stored on the raw chicken prep sink drain board while raw chicken was being thawed under running water” and some ready-to-eat food was not stored at proper temperatures, among other violations.
- Mozzie’s Cuisine and Deli (826 Fayetteville St., Suite 103, Durham) received a score of 94.5% on Tuesday, April 7. Earlier in the month, the restaurant received a score of 86% after county staff found employees not washing their hands and nearly year-old eggs and year-old sour cream were found in a cooler, among other violations.
- Pei Wei Asian Express (6910 Fayetteville Road, Space 230, Durham, inside The Streets at Southpoint Mall) received a score of 94.5% on Wednesday, April 8. In March, the restaurant received a score of 88.5% after violations of a leak from a hand sink and unwashed produce stored on top of cooked noodles, among other violations.
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Old food, black growth: Worst April Triangle restaurant scores (+ reinspections)."
