Live rats, chunky milk, smelly meat: Kansas City area restaurant inspections
From mouse droppings to a warm freezer, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City area restaurants in recent weeks.
Dining establishments like sit-down restaurants, drive-thrus, gas stations and cafeterias are required to get food inspections, and governments have to release those inspections to the public.
In Kansas City, the city’s health department enforces the food code while in Kansas, the state’s Department of Agriculture handles inspections. The lower the number of violations, the better.
Most restaurants often correct violations at the time of the original inspection or shortly thereafter. The full inspections show how each establishment has corrected or is working to correct any remaining violations. They are available for Kansas City at inspectionsonline.us/foodsafety/mousakansascity/search.htm and agriculture.ks.gov.
Here are the restaurants in Kansas City that received seven or more critical/priority violations from April 13 to 26. During that time, no restaurants in Johnson and Wyandotte counties reached the threshold of seven priority violations.
Jay’s Grocery and Restaurant
Shut down April 17 after a follow-up inspection
2605 Independence Ave.
An inspector found two live rats under a wood pallet inside the Northeast restaurant. Rodent droppings were left throughout the building, including near the dishwashing sink, close to the cash register and inside the air conditioning system.
A bad odor emanated from 87 packages of lamb meat kept in a too-warm freezer, which had been at 50 degrees for more than four hours, according to the inspection.
The African-focused shop and restaurant is still closed as of May 1. The owner said by phone that staff are working with the health department and hope to reopen next week.
An additional follow-up inspection has not occurred. Read the full report for Jay’s Grocery and Restaurant.
Cafe Reflections (Reflections Kitchen and Kocktails on Google)
12 critical violations for a routine inspection April 22
7016 Troost Ave.
At the smoothie station, the inspector found a container of chunky milk. Mice had pooped on the rice container’s lid, boxes of peanut butter and jelly, and the floor near the freezer and ice machine.
At the Waldo area restaurant, the main sink was overflowing with dishes, and two handwashing sinks also stored items.
An additional follow-up inspection has not occurred. Read Cafe Reflections’ full report.
Nour’s
Shut down April 22 after 30 days of inactivity
3855 Warwick Blvd.
Nour’s health permit was suspended over a month after the Health Department’s initial pre-operational inspection. In a letter provided by a city spokesperson, the Health Department said the license was revoked because of “inactivity of establishment within 30 days of permit granted.”
The restaurant was supposed to take a space next to the Offices at Park 39 coworking space, on the former Westport Middle School property.
No inspection reports are available for Nour’s suspension, though the eatery’s initial inspection is available online.
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 10:32 AM.
