Notable Raleigh BBQ restaurant gets ‘B’ for flies & expired food: Scores (7/22)

The News & Observer publishes a weekly roundup of restaurant sanitation scores to keep you up-to-date on the health grades at Triangle dining spots.

Sanitation scores and their corresponding letter grades are used in North Carolina to assess restaurants’ adherence to rules and standards intended to mitigate and prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses.

You’ve likely seen sanitation grade cards at restaurants you’ve visited, and The N&O previously explained what those scores mean and how they’re calculated.

Here are sanitation scores in Triangle counties for the week of July 15-21.

Wake County sanitation scores

The Wake County inspection management system shows that 116 restaurant inspections were completed July 15-21.

• Most restaurants received an A grade, or a score of at least 90%.

• Two restaurants received a B grade, or a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%.

Mezeh Grill (1286 W Williams St. in Apex) received a score of 89% during an inspection on Monday, July 21.

• The restaurant was in violation of 12 standards.

• Violations included multiple foods observed holding less than necessary temperature, food debris observed under the grilltop on the counter and steam table compartments had old food debris floating in the water and the basin appears soiled.

• The restaurant previously scored 95% in March 2025 and 94% in January 2025.

Longleaf Swine (300 E Edenton St. in Raleigh) received a score of 88.5% during an inspection on Friday, July 18.

• The restaurant was in violation of eight standards.

• Violations included plastic containers stored clean had sticker residue and some food debris, several flies flying throughout the kitchen area and several food items held beyond seven days and dating as far back as June.

• The restaurant previously scored 93.5% in February 2025 and 95% in October 2024.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Wake County at bit.ly/4dGbJN3.

Durham County sanitation scores

The Durham County inspection management system shows 42 restaurant inspections were completed July 15-21.

• Most restaurants received an A grade.

• Two restaurants received a B grade.

Red Crab (4600 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd Ste. 29-30 in Durham) received a score of 88% during an inspection on Thursday, July 17.

• The restaurant was in violation of 16 standards.

• Violations included tomatoes in the walk-in cooler with mold, raw shrimp stored above vegetables and the person in charge touched cooked lobster with bare hands in the walk-in cooler.

• The restaurant previously scored 96% in January 2025 and 97% in April 2024.

Buffalo Wild Wings (6709 Fayetteville Rd. in Durham) received a score of 86.5% during an inspection on Wednesday, July 16.

• The restaurant was in violation of 17 standards.

• Violations included an employee who stepped away from the prep area and rubbed gloved hands on his pants, a lot of flies and gnats throughout the kitchen and excessive black buildup on the walls in the chicken cooler, above the back door and dump sink area.

• The restaurant previously scored 93% in March 2025 and 96% in November 2024.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Durham County at bit.ly/3pVQfpG.

Orange County sanitation scores

The Orange County inspection management system shows that 15 restaurant inspections were completed July 15-21.

• All restaurants received an A grade.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Orange County at bit.ly/3eQqpxc.

Johnston County sanitation scores

The Johnston County inspection management system shows that 19 restaurant inspections were completed July 15-21.

• All restaurants received an A grade.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Johnston County at bit.ly/4eEDuGr.

Chatham County sanitation scores

The Chatham County inspections management system shows that six restaurant inspections were completed July 15-21.

• All restaurants received an A grade.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Chatham County at bit.ly/3JfiHwq.

This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 11:12 AM.

Chyna Blackmon

The Charlotte Observer

Chyna Blackmon was a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription