According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, recent reports on Luzerne County restaurant inspections are available. It's important to note that an inspection is only a snapshot of the establishment's cleanliness at a specific time and day, and violations may be corrected on site before the inspector leaves.
The information is obtained from the inspection database at www.eatsafepa.com. The postal addresses listed may not match the actual location of the facilities.
Dollar General, 2460 Memorial Hwy., Dallas: Initial inspection, compliant.
El Macuto Mini Market, 172 S. Wyoming St., Hazleton: Routine inspection, compliant. Violations: 3 gallons of 1% milk with an expiration date of 1/5/24 were found and removed from sale. The facility was also not using an approved detergent-sanitizer in its manual warewashing equipment, lacked calibrated thermometers for proper food temperature, and had toilet rooms without self-closing doors.
Elks Club No. 200, 635 E. Broad St., Hazleton: Routine inspection, compliant. Violations: Some static dust and grease buildup was observed on the exhaust hood.
Center City Cafe, 200 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre: Routine inspection, compliant. Violations: The facility was not setting up and using the 3-compartment sink correctly, but the owner and staff were educated on the proper setup and sanitizing concentration levels.
Miners Mills Triangle Club, 77 E. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: Routine inspection, compliant.
Tarnowski’s Kielbasas Inc., 579 E. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: Routine inspection, compliant.
Alyxzander’s Coffee Stop, 191 PO Box, Lehman. Initial inspection, compliant.
Hartman Jerk Center, 72 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: Routine inspection, non-compliant. Violations: Band saw not being properly cleaned and sanitized between uses, improper temperature for mac and cheese, rice, and fish, and issues with 3-compartment sink setup and sanitizing solution.
Istanbul Grill, 40 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: Routine inspection, compliant.
Mi Ranchito, 179 Prospect, Wilkes-Barre: Routine inspection, compliant. Violations: Ready-to-eat food in the coolers was not properly marked with the opening date, and there were issues with water supply for the sinks and sanitizer concentration.
The Ice Cream Truck No. 2, PO Box 191, Lehman: Follow-up inspection, compliant.
The Ice Cream Truck No. 3, PO Box 191, Lehman: Follow-up inspection, in compliance.
Turkey Hill Minit Markets No. 157, 170 Hazle St., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: Instructed to have Vomit & Diarrhea kit on site. Potentially hazardous ready-to-eat food was being datemarked with an ink pen and smudged bable and could not be read. Not all RTE items had dates on them. No sonsistency. Cappuccino machine and milk and crema machine were found to be corroated and in need of attention. The handwash sink as well as the utility sink for employees located in the employee area, is not convenient and easily accessible, as evidenced by the observed lack of proper handwashing by employees.. Debris & clutter blacking access to sink. Bathroom was found to be dirty and needs regular cleaning scheduled. Ice cream on stacked on the floor of the walk in freezer, oxes of styrofoam cups being stored in the walk in Freeezer on the floor. Mops are not being hung to air dry. Mop was sitting in stagnant water in the bucket.
Luzerne County Head Start Inc., 23 Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance.
Abide Coffee House, 23 W. Market St., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance.
Gus Genetti Hotel & Restaurant, 77 E. Market St., Wilkes-Barre: Follow-up inspection, in compliance.
Peters Deli Inc., 498 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance.
Schiel’s, 7 George Ave., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: Revello’s pizza cooler in the dairy department temperature was above 41 degrees. Exterior of the ice machine needs attention. Metal storage racks in kitchen walk in cooler needs attention.
Schiel’s Family Market, 30 Hanover St., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: Several cases of fish in freezer appear to have been frozen thawed and re frozen and were out of date. Food dispensing utensil in flour and brown sugar observed stored in the food and not with handle above the top of the food and the container. Potentially hazardous ready-to-eat food prepared in the food facility and held for more than 48 hours, located in the deli, is not being date marked. (Open packages of deli need date markings.) Wooden pallets used for storage in walk in cooler need to be removed. Temperature measuring device for ensuring proper temperature of equipment is not available or readily accessible in back dairy walk in cooler. Loose or broken door hinges observed on freezer door. Loose rubber door gaskets observed on freezer door creating condensation. Observed fryers, bakers racks, dairy case vents, vents above baking oven with an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, debris on non-food contact surfaces.
Starbucks, 169 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: Observed no chemical detergent or sanitizer being used on equipment and utensils after rinsing them, and prior to use. (using a rapid rinse system for vessels but not properly washing and sanitizing before use —- high possibility of cross contact leading to alergic reactions). Paper towel dispenser empty at the handwash sink in the line area. refilled at time off inspections.
Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, 24 E. Northampton St., Wilkes-Barre: Passed regular inspection.
24145 Plains, PA Dollar General, 116 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre: Passed regular inspection.
Bravo Tex-Mex Restaurant, 61 S. Main St., Pittston: During regular inspection, the following issues were found: Common bowls used as scoops in bulk ingredients in the basement, sanitizer bucket concentration was 0ppm, ROP salmon observed thawing in the original vacuum packaging in cookline baine marie, chlorine sanitizer level in dishwasher was 0 ppm instead of 50-100 ppm, all issues were corrected at the time of inspection.
Factory Ent. Inc. The Mines, 105 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: Passed regular inspection. Issue found: Ice Machine exterior needs attention.
Great Wall, 988 N. Sherman Court, Hazleton: Passed regular inspection. Issues found: Improper storage of food items, cooked food not at required temperature, evidence of pests without pest control program, dirty kitchen equipment and surfaces.
Grotto Pizza Gateway, 36 Gateway Shopping Center, Edwardsville: Passed regular inspection. Issues found: Improper storage of ice scoop, low sanitizer level in glasswasher, dirty air diffusers in kitchen.
Jeddo Stars Athletic Asc., 1933 State Rt. 940, Freeland: Regular check, following the rules. Violations: A scoop was stored in the ice machine in a way that the handle was touching the ice or was buried under it. The scoop was taken out of the ice.
La Napoli II, 1984 Slocum Road, Wapwallopen: Check for following the rules, following the rules. Violations: Meatballs in sauce and red sauce were kept at 125-130 °F in the hot hold unit in the kitchen area, instead of the required 135°F or above. Staff admitted that they heated it on the stove but didn't check the temperature to make sure it was heated to 165*F or above before putting it into the hot hold unit. The staff was informed about the need to heat food items to 165*F or above before putting them into the hot hold where it should be maintained at a temperature of 135*F or above. The food items were reheated to 175-180 * F and placed back into the hot hold during this inspection. The facility doesn't have a documented procedure for controlling ready-to-eat potentially hazardous foods using time instead of temperature. The facility is not following the procedure for pizza that is placed in the unrefrigerated display case. The staff admitted that they placed the pizza in the case at 10:30 am and if it wasn't sold by 4 pm, they would discard it, but there was no way of knowing how long the pizza was in the display case. The Staff person immediately went and obtained souffle’ cups on his own and wrote the times on them and placed them with the pizzas. Staff was informed that unrefrigerated food items can only be out for no more than four hours. There are no thermometers available for ensuring proper temperatures of food or they are not easily accessible. The staff present during this inspection was unable to locate a stem thermometer. The owner stated during a telephone conversation during this inspection that he will bring a thermometer to the facility when he comes here later today.
Simplicity, 320 PA-315, Unit 240, Pittston: First check, following the rules.
The Jeddo Grill, 1933 State Rt. 940, Freeland: Regular check, following the rules. Violations: An employee of the food facility has completed food safety training, but the training program was not an ANSI/CFP accredited Certified Food Manager program. The owner needs to provide a copy of the completed 5 year managers certificate to this inspector when obtained.
Woods Ice Cream, 554 Forest St. , Freeland: Regular check, following the rules.
Cafe Girasole, 1109 WYoming Ave., Exeter: Regular check, following the rules. Violations: Common bowls were used as scoops in bulk sugar and salt ingredients. Thermometers for ensuring proper temperature of equipment are not available in multiple refrigeration units.
Chuck E. Cheese No. 533, 2120 Wilkes-Barre Marketplace, Wilkes-Barre: Regular check, following the rules.
Dollar General No. 23851, 3271 PA 118, Dallas: First check, following the rules. Violations: The drinking water used in the food facility is not from an approved source, such as a public water system or an approved non-public water system. The facility currently has the water fountains covered with plastic bags so that they cannot be used. There are signs posted at the drinking fountains and handwash sinks saying ” Warning-Non potable water DO NOT DRINK.” There is both hand soap and hand sanitizer at the handwash sinks. A sign posted instructs staff and consumers to use hand sanitizer after washing their hands. The facility owner has agreed not to use the water for drinking purposes until it is approved by DEP and a Public Water Source is assigned.
EJK Conecssions (XKM-1189 Potato Pancakes)-MFF4, 9 Colonial Drive, Mountain Top: Regular inspection, in compliance.
Empanada King, 1058 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: Observed containerized food stored directly on the floor inside of the walk-in freezer, rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required.
Hong Kong Restaurant, 1060 Midway Shopping Center, Wyoming: Change of ownsership, in compliance. Violations: Chicken, and an onion inside the walk-in cooler were stored open with no covering. The items were covered during this inspection. Observed a handled metal scoop and a handles sauce pan stored sitting on a metal pipe located on the wall behind the bulk ingredient containers. The scoop and pan were placed inside of the 3 bay sink to be washed and sanitized. Staff was educated on proper storage of the scoops etc. Food facility is reusing common plastic grocery bags to store chicken in the reach in freezer. Single use Soy sauce Buckets intended for single are being used to store food items such as sprouts. Made owner aware of need to use food grade bags for food storage and to store food items in food grade containers intended to be re-used. Observed two crockpots used for hot hold, in prep area, with an accumulation of grease, food residue, debris covering the outside surfaces. The pots are in need of cleaning. Door handles and outside surfaces of reach in refrigerators and freezers (Non-food contact surfaces) not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. Inside ceiling and wall surfaces of the walk-in cooler (Non-food contact surfaces) not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation a tan /black mold like residue and is in need of cleaning. The Wire storage racks and the shelf liners covering the shelves (Non-food contact surfaces) not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of tan, black and white mold like residues and are in need of cleaning. The handwash sink in the prep area was filed with plastic bottles, dust and grime, and a cardboard box and not accessible at all times for employee use. then items were removed from the sink during this inspection. Soap was not available at the handwash sink in the prep area. Hand soap was placed at the sink during this inspection. Paper towel dispenser empty at the handwash sink in the prep area. paper towel was placed at the sink during this inspection. Mops are not being hung to air dry.
Hooligans, 396 E. Washington St., Nanticoke: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: 90 days given to secure certification. 90 days given to secure certification
Root & Spring, 1201 Oak St., Pittston: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: Observed sanitizer buckets being stored above the bain marie which has potential to contaminate food inside the bain marie. Buckets were moved at time of inspection.
Anthracite Cafe, 804 Scott St., Wilkes-Barre: Regular inspection, in compliance. Violations: Observed romaine lettuce stored directly on the floor in walk in cooler , rather than 6 inches off of the floor as required. Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. (Drip pan under stove top and broiler, floors and walls behind convection oven, walk in cooler floor, can opener.) Waste water drain from freezer compressor drains into hand sink. Paper towel dispenser and/or soap dispenser for handwashing needs to be installed by food prep / warewashing sinkin basement.
Dukey’s Cafe, 785 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre: The standard check was done and they are following the rules.
Julie’s Cozy Cafe, 95 W. Chestnut St., Wilkes-Barre: The routine check was done and they are following the rules.
Price Chopper No. 190 (Market 32), 180 Westside Mall, Edwardsville: They had a regular check and are following the rules. There were some issues with the shellstock tags and storing of a cup on top of shredded cheese, but those were fixed.
Wendy’s No. 302, 55 S. Wyoming Ave., Edwardsville: They had a regular check and are following the rules. There were some issues with staff not wearing proper hair restraints, empty paper towel dispenser, and dirty walk-in cooler, but those were fixed.
Al’s Nut House, 407 E. Noble St., Nanticoke: The standard check was done and they are following the rules.
Amber Indian Express, 78 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: They had a regular check but were not following the rules. There were issues with temperature controls, holding food at the wrong temperatures, and problems with the dishwashing setup and hot water heater.
Anthracite VFW Post No. 283, 757 Wyoming Ave., Kingston: The routine check was done and they are following the rules. There were some issues with sanitizer levels, dishwashing machine not working properly, and cleanliness of non-food contact surfaces, but the staff is taking action to address these issues.
China Garden 15, 15 Main St., Plains: The person in charge at this food facility did not show enough knowledge of food safety, which was seen during this inspection. Foods ready to eat were being stored in boxes meant for raw chicken. The containers for storing bulk food ingredients in the kitchen were not labeled with the food's name. Knives and cleavers in use were stored in a place that's not easy to clean. Soup that had been cooled was not being heated up to 165°F within two hours for hot holding. The area for manually washing dishes had a lot of dirt and food residue and was not cleaned before use and frequently throughout the day. The facility was using egg carton separation trays and raw chicken boxes to store ready-to-eat foods, even though they are intended for single use. Surfaces that don't come into contact with food were not cleaned often enough and had accumulated dirt and soil. The paper towel dispenser at the handwash sink was empty. The lighting in the food preparation area was not good enough for proper cleaning. The ceiling tiles in the back kitchen food prep area were severely water damaged and need to be replaced. There was evidence of rodent/insect activity throughout the entire facility, but the facility did not have a pest control program. Pest control was contacted during the inspection to start a pest control program. The facility was not removing dead or trapped pests from control devices often enough, as old rodent droppings were observed throughout the facility. There were signs of rodent activity, evidenced by chewed single-use food wrappers in the dry storage area. Build up of grease droplets was observed on the ansul system piping above the hot food prep line, which could potentially contaminate the foods. The food prep and storage area of the facility was very dirty, dusty, and in need of cleaning. Lye used for cleaning was observed to be stored above the stand-up freezer unit in the kitchen storage area.
Eagle Rock/Club House, 191 Turnberry Lane, Hazle Twp.: During this inspection, it was found that refrigerated ready-to-eat foods stored for more than 24 hours in the walk-in cooler were not marked with a date. However, all food items were properly date marked at the time of the inspection. The women’s toilet room did not have a covered waste receptacle for sanitary napkins.
Eagle Rock Base Lodge, 421 Walden Drive, Hazle Twp.: Black mold was observed on non-food contact surfaces of the beer cooler at the front bar. Clean dish racks were stored on the floor in the back ware wash area. The utensils in the prep area were stored with their food contact surfaces/food or lip area exposed to hand contact when retrieved by food employees. The food facility did not have the original certificate for the certified food employee posted in public view.
Eagle Rock Resort – Aquatic Center, 229 Turnberry Lane, Hazleton: The standard check found everything to be okay.
Ferris Barney Street Lunch, 218 Barney St., Wilkes-Barre: The routine inspection found everything to be okay.
Gerry’s Pizza, 496 Carey Ave., Wilkes-Barre: The routine inspection found everything to be okay.
Jim’s Restaurant & Pub, 62-62 W. Green St., Nanticoke: The routine inspection found everything to be okay.
Marty’s Pizza, 131 E. Broad St., Nanticoke: The routine inspection found everything to be okay.
McDonald’s No. 6185, 251 E. Route 940, White Haven: The compliance check found everything to be okay.
Nanticoke Quoit Club, 422 Raolroad St., Nanticoke: The routine inspection found everything to be okay.
Nardozzo’s Pizza, 145 E. Market St., Nanticoke: The routine inspection found everything to be okay.
Panorama Lodge, 151 Country Club Drive, Hazle Townshp: The routine inspection found everything to be okay. The inspection found that burger patties and hot dogs in the refrigerator were uncovered, but they were covered later. Dust and grime were found on the fan guards in the refrigerator, and the food facility did not have a certified food employee as required. The head chef was asked to provide a copy of a FEC to the inspector.
The Lodge at Eagle Rock, 720 Valley View Drive, Hazle Twp.: The routine inspection found everything to be okay.
Amigons Diner, 299 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: The follow-up inspection found everything to be okay. However, there were violations including ready-to-eat food not being date marked and the use of plywood as a prep table, which was being replaced during the inspection. Dough hooks were stored on the floor, which was corrected during the inspection.
Denny’s No. 8804, 83 State Route 93, Hazleton: The routine inspection found everything to be okay. Violations included employees not properly wearing gloves and hair restraints, ladles with rough surfaces, dirty microwave, and unclean cooking equipment and surfaces.
Eden – A Vegan Cafe, 136 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre: The routine inspection found everything to be okay. Violations included the need to label food products not in their original containers, attention needed for cutting boards and the state of the ceiling, walls, and floors, as well as a non-working handwashing sink.
