Cockroaches, old meat & cheese, cat living on site at Wichita restaurants, hotel
Cockroaches, old sausage gravy, dirty equipment, filthy kitchen conditions, a cat living at a business, expired medications, unlabeled chemicals and more are among violations state inspectors discovered during recent food safety and lodging inspections in the Wichita area.
Each week, The Eagle adds to its searchable database of failed inspections from Sedgwick County. Eleven restaurants and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations from Nov. 2-8.
Inspectors found few or no violations that same week at more than 70 other locations deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.
Kansas Department of Agriculture inspections are meant to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and other health risks. Locations can fail if they have too many problems, certain types of violations or issues that can’t be fixed right away.
Violations are common. Most of the time, businesses correct issues in front of an inspector. Examples of things that can be addressed immediately are serving food that’s more than a week old, employees mishandling ingredients and dirty kitchens. Issues that may take longer to correct include pest infestations, power outages and plumbing problems.
It’s rare, but a business may be temporarily shut down over violations.
Places that fail are usually reinspected within 10 days.
The list in this report was compiled on Nov. 13 using information available from the state on that date. It covers Sedgwick County only.
But you can search food safety and lodging inspection results elsewhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.
Out-of-compliance inspections
Asia Bazaar Grocery & Cafe, 6100 E. 21st St., Suite 300 in Wichita — Seven violations on Nov. 4 during a complaint inspection. Manual three-compartment ware washing sinks in kitchen and meat cutting area didn’t have chlorine sanitizer set up, sanitizer test strips not available on site, visible meat residue built up inside the bottom chamber and in crevices of meat saw, raw chicken stored on wire shelves above ready-to-eat produce, time-controlled foods were not marked with their preparation times, milk and cream were not labeled with their package opening dates, food probe thermometer stored with visible food residue, raw chicken stored above raw goat. Next inspection: Nov. 14.
Boccato Eatery & Pasta, 321 N. Mead in Wichita — Seven violations on Nov. 7 during a routine inspection. Cheesecake wasn’t labeled with the date the package was opened, raw beef stored above beans, no written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, open whipped cream can was not dated, pans with sticker residue stored as clean, leaking backflow prevention device on ware washing machine, no measurable concentration of chlorine sanitizer in ware washing machine. Next inspection: Nov. 17.
Bubbles Champagne Bar, 523 E. Douglas in Wichita — Three violations on Nov. 3 during a complaint inspection. Business was vacuum packaging deli meats and cheeses without required authorization, old meats and cheeses, open milk and coconut milk were not dated and past use-by date, cat living in business with litter box in back storage area. Next inspection: Nov. 13.
Casey’s General Store, 222 S. Meridian in Valley Center — Three violations on Nov. 4 during a routine inspection. Refrigerated prep table was holding foods at improper temperature (tomatoes, American cheese, Swiss cheese, Cheddar cheese, and Provolone cheese were all too warm), old sausage gravy, expired cold and flu medication for sale. Next inspection: Nov. 14.
Cevicheria Y Botanas La Isla, 201 E. 21st St., Suite 500 in Wichita — Seven violations on Nov. 6 during a routine inspection. Raw shrimp thawing improperly in prep sink, broken probe thermometer, no paper towels at bathroom hand-washing sink, raw eggs stored in direct contact with oranges, raw scallops stored next to cooked beef and octopus, undated containers of diced beef and cooked octopus, undated salsa and cooked shrimp, no mop sink available for waste water disposal, mop water dumped outside back door. Next inspection: Nov. 17.
Delux Inn, 8401 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — One violation on Nov. 3 during a modified complaint inspection. Approximately 10 roaches observed in one room (three by main door, four in bathroom, three behind south bed). Next inspection: Nov. 13.
Gerardo’s Restaurant, 2801 W. Central in Wichita — Four violations on Nov. 6 during a routine inspection. No sanitizer test strips available, undated container of consommé in walk-in cooler, pan of diced beef not hot enough on the flat top, undated open can of tomato sauce in walk-in cooler. Next inspection: Nov. 17.
Katana Japanese Steakhouse, 6821 W. Taft in Wichita — Three violations on Nov. 6 during a follow-up inspection. Live cockroaches in plastic bus tub under dish machine and on floor under dish rack, dead cockroaches on kitchen floor, restaurant couldn’t find a food probe thermometer. Next inspection: Nov. 16.
Muhungano African Market, 2251 E. 21st St., Suite 115 in Wichita — Four violations on Nov. 8 during a follow-up inspection. Resealable plastic bags of shelled peanuts, dried beans and dried anchovies were packaged in store but not labeled with required information, including their net contents, common name, or business information. Next inspection: Nov. 18.
Tacos Mexican Fast Food, 1930 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Six violations on Nov. 4 during a joint inspection. Soup not cooled properly in walk-in cooler, heavy food debris buildup inside microwave, no chlorine test strips available, tongs and spoon with dried food debris were stored as clean, vegetable dicer with dried food debris, heavy buildup on walk-in cooler shelves, uncovered raw chorizo stored above cooked vegetables, unlabeled spray bottle of degreaser. Next inspection: Nov. 14.
TJ’s Burger House, 1003 W. Douglas in Wichita — One violation on Nov. 3 during a follow-up inspection. Baked potatoes, pico, shredded cheese, sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce weren’t kept cold enough. Next inspection: Jan. 3.
Where to complain
If you see problems at a food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint.
To notify the state about unsavory or questionable conditions anywhere that serves or sells food to the public, email kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767. You can also file a complaint at www.foodsafetykansas.org.
To report an illness you think was caused by a restaurant, food or event where food was served, contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at 877-427-7317 or www.foodsafetykansas.org.
Complaints about conditions at hotels and motels can be submitted at www.agriculture.ks.gov/public-resources/comments-complaints/lodging-complaint.
For more information about foodborne illnesses, visit www.foodsafety.gov.
Note: Sometimes addresses listed — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — are not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments directly for specific service locations.
The violation summaries were compiled and drafted with the help of AI tools. They were fact-checked for accuracy and edited by Wichita Eagle journalists.
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 8:12 AM.
