No soap, ‘large rodent droppings:’ Triangle restaurants reinspected in May
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Five Triangle restaurants received A grades after prior lower sanitation scores in May.
- State law requires inspections of restaurants up to four times a year to assess risks.
- Wake and Durham reinspections showed prior violations like no soap and rodent droppings.
Five Triangle restaurants received A grades after previously receiving lower sanitation scores when inspected by 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 May.
Restaurants in Johnston and Orange counties all received an A grade in May. Two Chatham County restaurants that received B grades in May have not been re-inspected.
Wake County
The following Wake County restaurants were reinspected:
- Ajisai Japanese Fusion (427 Woodburn Road, Raleigh) received a score of 94% on Thursday, May 28. Earlier in the month, the restaurant received a score of 88.5% after inspectors found an employee who handled food with “artificial fingernails without wearing gloves” and fish plated to be served to a customer that wasn’t cooked to the proper temperature, among other violations.
- Hyderabadi Biryani Pointe (2711 NC Highway 55, Cary) received a score of 92.5% on Tuesday, June 2. In May, the restaurant received a score of 83% after inspectors found numerous flies in the kitchen and no soap in any handwashing sinks, among other violations.
- Little Rey Raleigh Ironworks (1101 E. Whitaker Mill Road, Raleigh) received a score of 95% on Tuesday, May 26. Earlier in the month, the restaurant received a score of 87% after inspectors reported food held at improper temperatures and “soiled pans and utensils” stored as clean, among other violations.
- Sheeba Restaurant (3933 Western Blvd., Raleigh) received a score of 96.5% on Tuesday, May 12. In April, the restaurant received a score of 89% after inspectors found “large rodent droppings” in a storage room and no dates seen “on any bulk food items,” among other violations. While the inspection report calls this establishment “Sheeba Restaurant,” its name is now “Yemen Arabic Restaurant,” according to its employees.
Durham County
The following Durham County restaurant was reinspected:
- Chelsea Cafe (1007 Slater Road, Suite 190, Durham) received a score of 96.5% on Thursday, May 28. Earlier in the month, they received a score of 89.5% after inspectors found a strand of hair on roasted potatoes and food spill stains in a freezer, among other violations.
This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 12:54 PM with the headline "No soap, ‘large rodent droppings:’ Triangle restaurants reinspected in May."
