Bedbugs, mice, 'dirty fake lobster' close Philly eateries

Seventeen restaurants and eateries were closed temporarily by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health between June 1 and June 13 for "unacceptable" conditions or "imminent health hazards," including one seafood restaurant in North Philadelphia cited for "dirty fake lobster stored on top of cooked crabs."

Restaurants that collected dozens of violations — but were not asked to suspend business or otherwise reprimanded — included Fresh Donuts on the 4700 block of N. 15th St (33 violations, 10 serious); Pizza House and Steaks at 1901 E. Washington Lane. (30 violations, 9 serious); and Tavern on Ridge at 6080 Ridge Ave. (28 violations, 4 serious)

A list of eateries which were closed, or are facing court dates, follows.

To look up reports on a specific restaurant, or read more in the Inquirer's Clean Plates series, visit philly.com/cleanplates.

C & F Pizzeria Restaurant
7518 CASTOR AVE 19152
27 violations, 8 serious.
Food certified person not present; no hot water; flies in food prep area; raw chicken stored above raw beef and cooked chicken in the walk-in cooler; employee not wearing hair net; missing thermometers; dumpster overflowing with trash. Agreed to temporarily close on June 13.

Deli Bread
1754 S CHADWICK ST 19145
9 violations, 4 serious.
Person in charge not present; hot dogs held at hazardous temperatures; missing floor tiles; evidence of mice. Asked to close temporarily on June 13.

Great Wall Restaurant
6351 N BROAD ST 19141
19 violations, 4 serious.
Live roaches on cutting board,  knives, and inside walk-in refrigerator; dead roaches in freezer; food not protected from contamination; mouse droppings and roaches throughout facility. Ordered to close for minimum of 48 hours on June 12. Previously ordered to cease operations on Oct. 10, 2015.

B&R Grocery Inc
2601 N 23RD ST 19132
8 violations, 3 serious.
No hot water; expired baby food. Asked to close temporarily on June 9.

Pete's Pizza 1
5158 HAVERFORD AVE 19139
12 violations, 3 serious.
Bed bugs crawling on employee's clothes and apron; rodent gnawed sandwich paper; mouse droppings throughout, on sandwich prep station and cold holding unit; food safety person did not know reportable foodborne illnesses; no soap or hand towels at sinks; defective refrigerators. Ordered to cease operations for 48 hours on June 9. Previously ordered to cease doing business on June 5.

Southside Zabihah
422 S 60TH ST 19143
20 violations, 10 serious.
No hot water; flies; food safety person not present; unapproved BBQ; facility "in need of deep cleaning throughout"; thermometers missing in refrigerators. Asked to temporarily close on June 9.

Cafe Saigon
811 ADAMS AVE 19124
29 violations, 9 serious.
Accumulated mouse feces on food containers, on prep tables with slicers and rice cookers, on the ice machine and on shelves in the food prep area; food held at hazardous temperatures; accumulated grease, debris, dust, and residue on equipment surfaces and shelves throughout; some employees not wearing hair restraints; no probe thermometer available; employees did not wash hands between tasks. Ordered to close for a minimum of 48 hours on June 8.

Dezzy's Restaurant
4945 FRANKFORD AVE 19124
14 violations, 2 serious.
Rodent feces on basement floors and steps; drain flies; food safety person not present; no towels in restrooms; nymph roaches in basement. Asked to temporarily close on June 8.

Nam Son Restaurant & Bakery
1601 WASHINGTON AVE 19146
17 violations, 10 serious.
No hot water; cigarette butts on toilet room floor; empty paper towel dispensers; uncovered spring rolls; German roaches behind deep freezer and on shelving over sink; roach eggs in kitchen soap dispenser; mouse droppings on prep table; no sanitizing taking place; black residue and pink slime in ice machine; food held at hazardous temperatures; mouse droppings at tea bar and bakery, in customer seating area and on top of prep table. Ordered to close immediately for minimum of 48 hours on June 7. Previously ordered to cease operations Aug. 29, 2014. 

Train Station Food
5570 MARKET ST 19139
12 violations, 5 serious.
Food safety person not present; raw chicken stored above a tray of cheese; fly paper hung over prep area. Asked to close temporarily on June 7.

Bonifacio Grocery
3052 FRANKFORD AVE 19134
10 violations, 4 serious.
Food safety person not present; no soap or paper towels at sink; expired infant food for sale. Asked to close temporarily on June 7.

Richies's Steaks
719 SANSOM ST 19106
8 violations, 1 serious.
Food safety person not present; mouse droppings on floor and pipes in kitchen and basement; missing "No Smoking" signs. Ordered to close immediately for 48 hours on June 6.

The Crab Shack
1605 BELFIELD AVE 19141
38 violations, 13 serious.
Dirty fake lobster stored on top of cooked crabs; unapproved cooking outdoors, crabs boiling on range outside; dead mouse; dead and live roaches; inadequate hand washing, no soap at restroom sink; severely dented cans of tuna; insufficient hair restraints; foods held at hazardous temperatures. Ordered to close for minimum of 48 hours on June 6. Permitted to reopen June 9.

Bahrul Din/ Halal Gyro King / #03180
52 BALTIMORE AVE 19143
1 violation, 1 serious.
Food safety person not present. Asked to close temporarily on June 6.

Kay & Jay Mini Market
1262 GREEBY ST 19111
16 violations, 5 serious.
Live cockroaches, roach remains and roach feces on floors and wall areas; mouse feces in rear storage area; no hot water; no soap in restroom; foods held at hazardous temperatures; probe thermometer not available; accumulated waste water in the bottom of deli case. Ordered to cease operations immediately for minimum of 48 hours on June 6.

Pete's Pizza 1
5158 HAVERFORD AVE 19139
25 violations, 11 serious.
Fresh mouse droppings on shelves, prep tables, inside of food containers, on dough slicer, storage racks and along floor periphery throughout; house flies on prep tables, slicers and other food equipment; no soap or paper towels at sinks; no sign reminding employees to wash hands; insufficient hair restraints; food held at hazardous temperatures; accurate thermometers missing; heavy food debris inside refrigerators; accumulated food residue on slicer. Ordered to shut down for minimum of 48 hours on June 5.

Athanasiadis, Kostas/ Mom's Lunch Cart #V00838
58 S 6TH ST 19106
6 violations, 2 serious.
Person in charge not present; eggs held at hazardous temperatures; food equipment not clean to sight and touch. Asked to close temporarily on June 5.

The O
6311 LANSDOWNE AVE 19151
9 violations, 4 serious.
No towels at sink; chemical sanitizer not used for cleaning; food held at hazardous temperatures; general cleaning needed. Ordered to close for minimum of 48 hours on June 5.

Scheduled for June 22 hearing in Court of Common Pleas: Pizzeria Nonna, 5301 GERMANTOWN AVE 19144;

Scheduled for June 20 hearings in Court of Common Pleas: 18th Street Food, 1801 W ONTARIO ST 19140; New Hepps Laundromat, 1920 E CHELTEN AVE 19138; Almonte Grocery, 1945 POPLAR ST 19130; Tejada Grocery 1, 2400 W ALLEGHENY AVE 19132; Save -A- Lot, 5834 PULASKI ST 19144; Oak Lane Personal Care Home, 1409 72ND AVE 19126.

Scheduled for June 8 hearings in Court of Common Pleas: Four Worlds Bakery, 4634 WOODLAND AVE FL 1st 19143; Ramen Bar, 4040 LOCUST ST 19104; Jonalis Grocery Store Inc, 315 N 52ND ST 19139; JD McGillicuddy's Pub, 111 COTTON ST 19127; Kum Lin Restaurant, 2417 WELSH RD 19114; Trolley Car Diner, 7619 GERMANTOWN AVE 19119; Tir Na Nog, 1600 ARCH ST FLOOR 1 19103; Takka Grill and Pizza on Chelten, 324 W CHELTEN AVE 19144; Nine Brothers Mini Market.

The health department inspects nearly 1,000 eateries and food retailers every two weeks. Every inspection is generally regarded as a "snapshot in time," and not necessarily a reflection of day-to-day conditions.  Most violations were fixed immediately on site.

If you suspect you have contracted food poisoning or have a sanitation complaint, contact the health department at 215-685-7495.