Stepping on cockroaches, molding lemons: Kansas City area restaurant inspections
From pesticide in the kitchen to a bag of cheese opened in 2024, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City area restaurants last week.
Dining establishments like sit-down restaurants, drive-thrus, gas stations and grocery stores 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 after. 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 Johnson and Wyandotte counties at agriculture.ks.gov.
Here are the restaurants in Kansas City and Johnson and Wyandotte counties that received seven or more critical violations or priority/priority foundation violations from Sept. 7 to 13. During that time, no restaurants in Wyandotte County reached the threshold.
Bamboo Penny’s
- 5270 W. 116th Place, Leawood
- 14 priority and priority foundation violations for a Sept. 8 complaint inspection
The inspector saw an employee step on a live cockroach in the kitchen of the Leawood Thai restaurant. Mold grew on lemons and oranges in a fridge.
The scheduled follow-up inspection has not yet occurred. Read the full report for Bamboo Penny’s by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Hy-Vee in Mission
- 6655 Martway, Mission
- 12 priority and priority foundation violations for a Sept. 9 complaint inspection
The inspector found bags of Parmesan cheese opened in December and January in the Mission Hy-Vee kitchen. Hand-washing sinks in both the meat and bakery areas were broken.
The scheduled follow-up inspection has not yet occurred. Read the full report for the Mission Hy-Vee by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Johnny Cascone’s Italian Restaurant
- 6863 91st St., Overland Park
- 7 priority and priority foundation violations for a Sept. 9 verification inspection
The inspector found a used can of pesticide on a kitchen shelf at this Italian restaurant off of Metcalf. Two refrigerators were not cold enough.
The scheduled follow-up inspection has not yet occurred. Read the full report for Johnny Cascone’s by searching for the restaurant on the Kansas inspection lookup.
Queen Bakery and Sweets
- 4107 N. Cherry St.
- 7 critical violations for a Sept. 9 routine inspection
At this Northland Middle Eastern restaurant, three lamb legs were defrosting on top of the freezer. A foam bowl was used to scoop lentils and the container lid was repaired with tape.
The restaurant corrected all the violations, according to a Sept. 12 follow-up inspection. Read the full report for Queen Bakery and Sweets.
KC Taco Company
- 520 Walnut St.
- Suspended on Sept. 11 because of “emergency/fire”
The River Market Mexican restaurant closed for half a day when a fire broke out in an upper floor of its building, an employee said by phone. While the fire did not reach KC Taco Company, staff had to clean up water damage caused by sprinklers.
The next day, the health department allowed KC Taco Company to reopen.
