‘Black slime,’ live cockroaches: Kansas City area restaurant inspections
From too-warm meat to 3-month-old food in the fridge, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City area restaurants in the last week of June.
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 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 and Wyandotte and Johnson counties that received seven or more critical/priority violations from June 22 to 28. In addition, four food service locations were forced to shut down or voluntarily closed, for various reasons.
La Fuente Mexican Street Food
- 10932 Stadium Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas
- 13 priority and priority foundation violations for a June 25 routine inspection
The inspector found raw beef stored inside a plastic “thank you” bag at the Mexican restaurant in The Legends. Approximately 20% of the equipment, utensils and surfaces that touch food had food debris or were soiled.
The scheduled follow-up inspection has not yet occurred. Read the full report for La Fuente Mexican Street Food by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Joy Wok, Waldo
- 8406 Wornall Road
- 12 critical violations for a June 25 routine inspection
There was black buildup inside of the ice machine at this Waldo hibachi restaurant and buffet. Containers of chicken, beef and pork were not kept cold enough.
The restaurant still had two critical violations after the July 1 follow-up inspection. Read the full report for Joy Wok in Waldo.
Aqua Penny’s at Park Place
- 11652 Ash St., Leawood
- 11 priority and priority foundation violations after a June 25 complaint inspection
Mold grew on roasted bell peppers and hummus in the cooler of this Leawood seafood restaurant. The walk-in contained 15 expired items, including 3-month-old miso paste.
The scheduled follow-up inspection has not yet occurred. Read the full report for Aqua Penny’s by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Viva Tacos and Tequila
- 11935 S. Black Bob Road, Olathe
- 10 priority and priority foundation violations after a June 25 complaint inspection
In the preparation area of the Olathe Mexican restaurant, the handwashing sink did not have running water.
A follow-up inspection has not occurred. Read the full report for Viva Tacos and Tequila by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Joy Wok Super Buffet, Northland
- 8320 N. Church Road
- 9 critical violations for a June 25 routine inspection
At the Chinese buffet near the Liberty Triangle, “green mold-like buildup” was found on the lid of a sauce bucket. Both the prep sink and the ice machine leaked.
The restaurant still had two critical violations after the July 2 follow-up inspection. Read the full report for Joy Wok in the Northland.
The Big Biscuit
- 12276 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Shawnee
- 9 priority and priority foundation violations after a June 23 routine inspection
Water dripped into an open bag of spinach and a pan of turkey inside the walk-in of this Shawnee breakfast restaurant. A recently killed mouse had not yet been removed from the mouse trap.
A follow-up inspection has not occurred. Read the full report for The Big Biscuit by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
888 International Market
- 10118 W. 119th St., Overland Park
- 8 priority and priority foundation violations after a June 26 routine inspection
There were flies in the salted jellyfish at the Asian grocery store off of 69 Highway. The store was not keeping required food-safety records.
The scheduled follow-up inspection has not yet occurred. Read the full report for 888 International Market by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Dos Reales Authentic Mexican Restaurant
- 6453 Quivira Road, Shawnee
- 8 priority and priority foundation violations after a June 23 complaint inspection
The inspector found “black slime” on the soda nozzle at this Mexican restaurant off of Shawnee Mission Parkway.
Read the full report for Dos Reales by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Antioch Bar and Grill
- 5410 NE Antioch Road
- 7 critical violations for a June 25 routine inspection
At the Northland bar and grill, an inspector found “heavy” grease buildup on the floors behind the fryer and freezer.
The restaurant corrected all the violations, according to a July 3 follow-up inspection. Read the full report for Antioch Bar and Grill.
District Fish & Pasta
- 1664 E. 63rd St.
- 7 critical violations for a June 25 routine inspection
None of the four employees at the Brookside area restaurant had food handlers cards, according to the report. There was buildup on the walls, ceiling tiles, shelves of the walk-in and the clean dishes rack.
The restaurant still had four critical violations after the July 3 follow-up inspection. Read the full report for District Fish and Pasta.
The Fontaine Parker Restaurant (Parker at The Fontaine on Google)
- 901 W. 48th Place
- 7 critical violations for a June 23 routine inspection
The inspector found a block of cheddar cheese with “blue/green spots” and almost a month-old cocktail sauce in the walk-in of this upscale restaurant at a Plaza hotel. There were “excessive fruit flies” in the storage area and sticky buildup on some of the floors.
The restaurant corrected all the violations, according to a July 1 follow-up inspection. Read the full report for Parker at The Fontaine.
Suspensions
Crossroad Food Stop restaurants
- 1600 Campbell
- Food licenses suspended June 27
The permits of seven restaurants inside of the ghost kitchen were suspended due to inactivity. One establishment, Primos, closed in May, according to their Instagram. The restaurants include:
- Oscar’s Authentic Mexican Grill
- Mobile Ghost Food Truck
- Wok & Roll KC
- R&C Fish and Wings
- El Pulgarcito Salvadorean Express
- Raj Express Indian Kitchen
Amruta Vilas on Wheels
- 14011 W. 135th St., Olathe
- Voluntarily closed after a June 26 inspection, the first operational inspection after licensing
The Indian food truck was closed because it didn’t have a refrigerator on the vehicle and there was no hot water at the handwashing sink.
A required follow-up inspection has not been scheduled. Read the full report for Amruta Vilas on Wheels by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Tacos El Viejon
- 409 E. Santa Fe St., Olathe
- Voluntarily closed June 25 after a routine inspection found an “imminent health hazard”
At this Olathe Mexican restaurant, the inspector found 15-20 live roaches crawling under the kitchen tables and sinks, in addition to tiny bugs “that were hard to count” and dead cockroaches in the kitchen.
The restaurant was able to reopen July 2 after a follow-up inspection found no pests at the facility. Read the full report for Tacos El Viejon by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Big D Convenience Deli (Big D’s Liquor & Groceries Inc on Google)
- 3447 Prospect Ave.
- Shut down June 24
The East Side corner store was shut down because there was no hot water at the deli and staff had not paid city fees for the store.
The establishment had a follow-up inspection June 30. The Star could not reach staff to confirm if Big D had reopened. Read the full report for Big D.
This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 2:34 PM.
