Uptown Charlotte eatery earns 6th ‘B’ grade for roaches, expired food during inspection
An uptown Charlotte restaurant received a “B” grade from the Mecklenburg County Health Department for numerous health violations, including the presence of insects and expired food.
▪ Essex Bar and Bistro, 101 S. Tryon St., received a score of 88.5 during its June 4 inspection.
Health department inspectors cited the restaurant after discovering two cockroaches crawling on the floor and one dead cockroach on the dish machine, county documents show. The insects were removed during the inspection.
Other violations the restaurant was cited for include:
Frozen mahi stored over ready-to-eat biscuits
Lamb, chicken and potatoes in hot holding stored below required temperatures
Pickled cabbage held past expiration date
Blast chiller in need of repair
Food debris and build up on gaskets of prep coolers and cooler drawers throughout
Damaged flooring throughout the facility
This is the restaurant’s sixth “B” grade since 2016. The most recent one occurred in August 2019.
According to state law, permits are immediately revoked if a restaurant receives a score of less than 70 percent.
This story was originally published June 10, 2024 at 2:05 PM.
