Charlotte’s health inspectors had their hands full this past January, scoring hundreds of restaurants across our city. While most faired decently, some had a scarily long list of violations, from handwashing violations, to unsafe temperatures, to pest infestations.
Here are Charlotte’s 10 worst restaurant health scores in January 2026, ranked from least bad (#10) to worst (#1):
#10 — HALAL FOOD CART 001 (89 / B)
5427 N Sharon Amity Rd, Charlotte (Mobile unit) — Inspected Jan. 7, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed employee wash hands at hand sink without using soap and don gloves to begin to handle food.”
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“Observed no soap available at hand sink.”
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“Observed boxes of raw steak being held over containers of white sauce in prep reach in cooler.”
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“Observed a spray bottle of chlorine sanitizer being held on prep counter in which concentration level for sanitizer was 0ppm.”
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“Observed American cheese being held in prep flip top cooler at 54F and steak being held in prep reach in cooler at 43F and lamb being held in reach in cooler at 49F.”
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“Observed a box of individually portioned containers of white sauce and large containers of white sauce being stored on floor.”
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“Observed torn gasket on reach in cooler.”
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“Observed large hole in flooring of MFU.”
#9 — THE GOODYEAR HOUSE (87.5 / B)
3032 N Davidson St, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 9, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed raw flounder stored above RTE country ham inside the WIC.”
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“Observed ground beef stored over whole intact beef inside the WIC.”
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“Observed Multiple TCS foods (eggs, shrimp stock, cooked cauliflower, Lettuce, egg salad, sliced tomatoes, buttermilk ranch, golden beets, whipped cream, pasta) stored inside Prep top 1 and 2 and also the LB RIC below the grill.”
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“Observed au novla sauce, romesco, garlic and oil, chimichurri, egg salad, cream held longer than 7 days or marked with the incorrect date mark.”
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“Observed multiple containers of open liquid eggs with no date marking.”
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“Observed 3 spray bottles of different chemical cleaners with no label throughout the kitchen.”
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“Observed wiping cloth stored in sanitizer bucket at 100 PPM of QUAT sanitizer.”
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“Observed multiple containers wet stacked on clean dish rack.”
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“Observed clean lids and clean kitchen-aid stored under sewer lines of hand sink near the back door.”
#8 — IACOFANO’S CATERING AND FOODSERVICE (87.5 / B)
3000 Yorkmont Rd, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 16, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed the deli slicer and several dishes/utensils soiled with food debris/residue while being stored as clean.”
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“Observed multiple items in the flip top unit above 41F while said to be cold holding.”
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“Observed a very large amount of TCS foods that were out of date or did not have a date mark.”
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“Observed boxes of food being stored on the floor in the WIF.”
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“Observed torn gaskets on the WIF in the kitchen area.”
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“Observed missing ceiling tile in the clean dish storage room causing the exposure of insulation.”
#7 — MR CHARLES CHICKEN AND FISH TOO (87 / B)
8006 Cambridge Commons Dr, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 29, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed employee handling raw meat at the cook line.”
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“Food employee then proceeded to plating RTE salmon, and prepping salad.”
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“Observed raw fish over RTE cabbage in WIC.”
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“Observed raw bacon over multiple RTE foods on speed rack in WIC including cooked chicken gizzards.”
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“Observed heavy buildup present on the wall mounted potato slicer present in the facility.”
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“Observed build up of gray and black soil present on the interior portion of the ice machine.”
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“Observed several foods in the HH cabinet of the facility holding below 135F.”
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“Observed tomatoes, lettuce, hard boiled eggs and sliced cheese out of temperature in prep top unit.”
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“EHS observed almost all TCS foods requiring date marking in the facility without any.”
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“Observed large amount of dead pests present in the rear of the facility.”
#6 — LUISA’S BRICK OVEN PIZZERIA (86.5 / B)
1730 Abbey Pl, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 2, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed employee wash hands for less than 20 seconds.”
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“Employee rinsed hands in 3-compartment sink and did not use soap and dried hands on apron.”
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“Observed employee prepping tomatoes (will not go through a cooking process) with barehands.”
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“Observed cooked chicken in lowboy with a prep date of 12/10.”
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“Observed pasta salad with a prep date of 12/17.”
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“Observed medication (Insulin) stored above food in the walk in cooler.”
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“Observed all employees in the kitchen prepping and handling food without the use of a hair restraint.”
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“Observed rust accumulating on bottom prep surface of prep table and on dry storage racks throughout the kitchen.”
#5 — SUBHAM EATERY (85.5 / B)
8630 Camfield St, Ste B, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 9, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed staff not wash hands after returning from outside the kitchen before handling food and containers of food.”
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“Observed staff get cup of water from hand sink to use for food.”
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“Observed container of moldy stuffed peppers in reach in.”
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“Observed staff wearing gloves into bathroom and dumpster area without removing gloves before or after entering kitchen.”
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“Repeat-Observed active dishwashing with no sanitizer in the 3rd compartment.”
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“Observed hot foods left sitting on counter instead of putting in hot box.”
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“Observed grilled onions, sliced tomatoes, sitting on counter throughout inspection.”
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“Observed spray bottle labeled sanitizer is undiluted bleach.”
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“Repeat- Observed trash on ground around dumpster.”
#4 — EL CARBONERO (85 / B)
4400 Central Ave, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 22, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed white and black microbial growth on jalapenos, ketchup and boiled eggs in WIC.”
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“Observed bag of raw chorizo stored in container on top of bag of cooked chicken.”
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“Observed raw chorizo stored in container with ranch and queso in prep unit.”
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“Observed crema in prep unit #1 above 41F.”
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“Observed items in prep unit #2 on right side of unit above 41F.”
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“Observed items in WIC above 41F.”
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“Observed multiple squeeze bottles with no labels.”
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“Observed dead pest in cold pan in prep unit.”
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“Observed flying pest in RIC being used for storage.”
#3 — MASTI INDIAN RESTAURANT AND BAR (85 / B)
128 Brevard Ct, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 2, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed employee enter kitchen, attempt to repair kitchen hand sink drainage by submerging hand inside the waste water.”
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“Employee then transitioned in to food prep without hand washing.”
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“Observed staff wearing gloves into bathroom and dumpster area…” (as written in the report, similar behavior appears across multiple January inspections)
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“Observed raw shelled eggs stored over cooked biryani masala in prep reach-in unit.”
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“Observed raw chicken stored over cooked chicken in the walk-in cooler.”
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“Observed multiple TCS applicable foods… temping above 41 F.”
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“Observed paneer prepared on 12/28/25 with incorrect date label of 12/21/25.”
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“Observed air freshener spray stored above food service equipment.”
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“Observed all food handlers preparing foods without a hair restraint.”
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“Observed waste water from hand sink in upstairs kitchen unable to drain.”
#2 — QUEENS UNIVERSITY STUDENT CENTER (84.5 / B)
1900 Selwyn Ave, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 28, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed deli slicer and panini press in Betty’s market with visible food debris present.”
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“Obsevred dirty dishes being stored in hot holding unit in Betty’s market.”
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“Observed dishes stored as clean in dish room with visible food debris present.”
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“Observed pozole hot holding in soup well at 124F.”
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“Observed chicken patty holding at 125 in hot holding equipment.”
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“Observed sliced tomatoes and sliced turkey with a prep date of 1/20… past the 7-day allotment.”
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“Observed no time stamp for items being held on time at Betty’s market.”
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“Observed multiple squeeze bottles and seasoning containers without labels throughout facility.”
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“Observed gnats throughout the facility.”
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“Observed employee belongings stored with and on top of clean dishes in dish area.”
#1 — FONDA LA TAQUIZA (80.5 / B)
5135 Albemarle Rd, Charlotte — Inspected Jan. 16, 2026
Observed violations:
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“Observed employees washing hands for far less than 20 seconds and without using a barrier to turn off the faucet.”
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“Observed one of the kitchen hand sinks with towels and the knife sharpener in it.”
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“Observed there were no invoices on site and fish had not boxes or other ways to determine if it was from an approved source.”
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“Observed no parasite destruction letters for Ceviche on the menu.”
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“Observed raw beef over sauce, raw chicken over beef, raw chicken over vegetables.”
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“Observed the same utensils were being used for different types of raw animal foods as well as cooked foods.”
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“Observed 20 pans of TCS food… at 11:15 had still not reached 165F.”
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“Observed beans, roja sauce, and pork did not make it to 70F within 2 hours.”
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“Observed soup in the walk in dated 12/30/2025.”
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“Observed wastewater had been dumped around the back near the can wash but not in the can wash.”
If you’d like to monitor health scores or do a quick search for a restaurant you’re about to eat at, check out North Carolina’s health inspection database here.
