The clean, the passable and the cited

Nick Reimann

New Orleans is world-renowned for its food, fun and festivities, and it loves letting everyone know about it. But something else that New Orleans is equally famous for, yet a little less enthusiastic about advertising, is its level of cleanliness (or lack thereof).

It is accepted that in a city known for debauchery, expectations for everything to be perfectly neat and tidy are a little bit lowered. Regardless, being in a city known for food, specific sanitation standards have to be met. Thankfully, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals frequently inspects restaurants to make sure they meet those expectations. To make things simple, we’ve put together a guide of results from these inspections of local restaurants, so that you don’t have to worry about enjoying your favorite New Orleans cuisine.

The Clean

Dat Dog

Location: 5030 Freret St.

Violations: Non-Critical–4

Non-Critical Corrected–1

While you’ve probably never worried about eating your favorite hot dog at Dat Dog, rest assured that upon their most recent inspection, Dat Dog was not cited for a single critical violation.

Panda Express

Location: Tulane LBC

Violations: None

Panda Express is one of the cornerstones of many students’ diets at Tulane and Loyola Universities. While these students may be used to living a life of disorder, that’s not something they want carrying over to the dinner table. This isn’t a worry at Panda Express, since they were given a completely clean bill of health upon their last inspection.

The Passable

O’Henry’s Food and Spirits

Location: 634 South Carrollton Ave.

Violations: Critical Corrected–3

Non-Critical Corrected–5

Famous for giving away free steak to customers on their birthdays, O’Henry’s is a staple of the Carrollton restaurant scene. But the kitchen where that free steak is prepared has had a couple of issues the last time it was inspected, including having cold food stored at a temperature above 41 degrees.

Jimmy John’s

Location: 7621 Maple St.

Violations: Critical Corrected–2

Non-Critical–2

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is known for clean passes from the pocket, and game preparation that is second to none. But do these same qualities transfer to the kitchen of the Jimmy John’s he owns on Maple Street? Well, according to its most recent inspection, Brees’ Jimmy John’s needs some work to live up to its owner’s reputation. Brees’ restaurant was cited for two critical violations, both of which were corrected during its inspection.

The Cited

Pepperoni’s Café

Location: 8123 Hampson St.

Violations: Critical–1

Critical Corrected–2

Non-Critical–3

Non-Critical Corrected–2

Beyond the chic, contemporary, clean interior of Pepperoni’s Café lies a kitchen that seems to reflect a different picture. Pepperoni’s failed their most recent routine inspection, leading to a re-inspection having to be performed the following day. According to the inspection report, an employee was found eating in a food preparation area, food contact surfaces and utensils were found to be unclean, and a hand-washing area was not located in an area convenient for use by employees. All of these issues were corrected upon reinspection.

Willie Mae’s

Location: 7457 St. Charles Ave.

Violations: Critical–1

Critical Corrected–4

Non-Critical–4

Self-proclaiming to have “America’s Best Fried Chicken,” Willie Mae’s Grocery and Deli Restaurant on St. Charles Avenue has received some major violations. During their most recent routine inspection, health inspectors cited Willie Mae’s for “ready to eat, potentially hazardous food prepared on premises and held for more than 24 hours is not date marked.” Other notable violations included having cold food stored at above 41 degrees and having food contact surfaces and utensils that were not clean. Upon reinspection, Willie Mae’s still had one critical violation and two non-critical, both of which were then corrected during the next reinspection.