Live roaches and food stored on the floor at Raleigh restaurant: latest inspections

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 from May 5-11.

Wake County sanitation scores

The Wake County inspection management system shows 64 restaurant inspections were completed May 5-11. Two restaurants received a B grade (a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%):

Bawarchi Grill & Spirits (800 W. Williams St., Apex) received a score of 87.5% on Thursday, May 7.

• The restaurant was in violation of 14 standards.
• Violations include employees not using soap and washing their hands with gloves on, an improper cooling method for a pan of chicken and cooked potatoes stored in standing water, among other violations.
• The restaurant previously scored an A grade in October 2025.

One of the violations was related to “food additives.” Inspectors found “mustard oil” being used to marinate chicken and the oil is “a body oil for external use only,” according to the inspection.

Mustard seed oil is common in Asian, including Indian, cuisine, and can have spicy or peppery flavor similar to horseradish or wasabi.

The oil can contain unsafe levels of erucic acid, which has been “associated with cardiac lesions in test animals,” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA considers “mustard oil containing unsafe levels of erucic acid is an unsafe food additive.”

Australia, New Zealand and some countries in Europe allow for the consumption of mustard oil, and the Lipid Association of India calls it a “heart-friendly oil,” according to Medical News Today.

Beto el Poblano (13100 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 100, Raleigh) received a score of 83% on Thursday, May 7.

• The restaurant was in violation of 15 standards.
• Violations include a dishwasher that didn’t reach the required sanitization temperatures, live and dead roaches near the dishwasher and food assembly area and food stored on the floor in the kitchen area and walk-in cooler, among other violations.
• The restaurant previously scored an A grade in January 2026.

Durham County sanitation scores

The Durham County inspection management system shows 27 restaurant inspections were completed May 5-11. One restaurant received a B grade (a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%):

Thai Angle Restaurant (200 N. Mangum St. Suite 101, Durham) received a score of 87.5% on Monday, May 11.

• The restaurant was in violation of 17 standards.
• Violations include employees switching tasks without washing their hands, cracked eggs were stored behind cooked chicken and beef with liquid egg spilling on the cooked food, raw fish stored above cooked and uncovered chicken and beef, and food not stored at proper temperatures.
• The restaurant previously scored an A grade in October 2025.

Orange County sanitation scores

The Orange County inspection management system shows 15 restaurant inspections were completed May 5-11. All received an A grade.

Johnston County sanitation scores

The Johnston County inspection management system shows 32 restaurant inspections were completed May 5-11. All received an A grade.

Chatham County sanitation scores

The Chatham County inspection management system shows six restaurant inspections were completed May 5-11. One restaurant received a B grade (a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%):

Compadres Tequila Lounge (193 Lowes Drive, Suite 107, Pittsboro) received a score of 89.5% on Wednesday, May 6.

• The restaurant was in violation of 16 standards.
• Violations include raw meat stored above ready-to-eat cut tomatoes in the prep cooler, employees not washing hands have changing gloves and employees checking the temperature of rice without cleaning the food thermometer.
• The restaurant previously scored an A grade in January 2026.

Anna Roman

The News & Observer

919-829-4807

Anna Roman is a service journalism reporter for the News & Observer. She has previously covered city government, crime and business for newspapers across North Carolina and received many North Carolina Press Association awards, including first place for investigative reporting.