27 Rochester restaurants cited for critical health violations. See the list

Democrat and Chronicle, USA Today Network

Thu, February 12, 2026 at 9:37 AM UTC

6 min read

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Out of 64 health inspections conducted in Monroe County last month, 27 had critical violations, five had no violations, and 58 had unfixed violations remaining from previous inspections, according to new reports released by the Monroe County Health Department.

There are over 90,000 food service establishments in New York state, according to health.ny.gov. Inspections include any establishment public or private that uses an on-site kitchen to serve food, this includes schools, nursing homes and more.

Due to the volume of food establishments inspected in the last month, a selection of the highest and lowest rated restaurants are shown below. You can search for current and past New York state health inspection reports on data.democratandchronicle.com.

Some Rochester restaurants with the most health violations last month

Critical violations must be corrected on the spot, while non-critical violations must be addressed by a future date.

Plum Garden

3349 Monroe Avenue, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 28, 2026

Violations: 27 total. 10 critical, 17 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Sushi Samba

381 Gregory Street, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 28, 2026

Violations: 20 total. 6 critical, 14 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Lake Chinese Food

4462 Lake Avenue, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 27, 2026

Violations: 13 total. 1 critical, 12 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Fox's Delicatessen

1841 Winton Place, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 28, 2026

Violations: 13 total. 3 critical, 10 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Golden Corral Rochester & Catering

450 Jefferson Road, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 29, 2026

Violations: 12 total. 3 critical, 9 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Latino's Paradise

478 Portland Avenue, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 29, 2026

Violations: 12 total. 3 critical, 9 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Tp\'S Irish Pub & Restaurant

916 Panorama Trail, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 29, 2026

Violations: 11 total. 1 critical, 10 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Monte Alban Mexican Grill (Irondequoit)

845 East Ridge Road, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 27, 2026

Violations: 9 total. 5 critical, 4 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Jamaican Soul

211 Genesee Street, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 28, 2026

Violations: 9 total. 2 critical, 7 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Rosie Nepalese & Indian Cuisine

3349 Monroe Avenue, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 29, 2026

Violations: 9 total. 2 critical, 7 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Rochester eateries with flawless health inspections last month

No health code infractions were found at these establishments during their inspections.

Chapel Oaks & Catering @ St. Ann'S Community

1550 Portland Avenue, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 27, 2026

Violations: 0 total. 0 critical, 0 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Gates Chili Csd-Paul Road School

571 Paul Road, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 27, 2026

Violations: 0 total. 0 critical, 0 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Taqueria Monterrey

627 Culver Road, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 28, 2026

Violations: 0 total. 0 critical, 0 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

Chen Garden

1750 Monroe Avenue, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 29, 2026

Violations: 0 total. 0 critical, 0 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

River Edge Manor (Episcopal Senior Housing)

535 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester

Inspection date: Jan. 30, 2026

Violations: 0 total. 0 critical, 0 non-critical, 0 not fixed from previous inspection

Comments from inspection: Click here to view specific violations from the inspection.

What are critical and non-critical violations?

Red “critical” violations involve “food source and condition, food cooking and storage temperatures, sanitary practices of food workers, water and sewage, pest contamination of food and the use of toxic materials,” according to a spokesperson from the New York State Department of Health.

Critical violations must be corrected at the time of inspection because they include factors that could lead to foodborne illness.

In New York state, restaurant inspections are not conducted on a pass or fail basis.

Non-critical, or blue, violations are not related to factors that could directly cause foodborne illness, but they could have a negative effect on the operation of the restaurant. These types of violations relate to the maintenance, design, and cleanliness of the establishment.

Non-critical violations are not as urgent as critical ones and must be fixed according to the timeframe given by the health inspector.

How often are health inspections conducted in Monroe County?

The frequency of food establishment inspections in New York state depends on the risk category of the establishment and the establishment’s history of health code compliance.

High-risk food establishments are inspected twice per year, medium-risk ones once per year, and low-risk ones every other year.

Examples of high-risk food establishments include table-service restaurants, diners and school kitchens which prepare foods – these are establishments that have complex food processes like preparing food in advance or reheating and cooling food.

Medium-risk food establishments don’t require such complex processes because they serve low maintenance food like pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches.

Bars and coffee shops are typical low-risk food service establishments due to the minimal preparation required for their food service.

The inspectors from health departments in each county are trained by the New York State Department of Health to standardize food establishment health inspections across the state. Information for each county's health department can be found at health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/ctyadd1.htm.

How do I report food establishments that might be violating health standards in Monroe County?

The health department in each respective county is responsible for enforcing public health regulations.

If you suspect that a food establishment is dirty or might be violating health standards, report them to the Monroe County Health Department and an inspector will investigate the complaint. To file a report, submit a complaint on https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/indoors/food_safety/complaints.htm.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data scraped from local health department websites. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Restaurant inspections in Rochester NY. How safe is your favorite spot?

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