The Dallas Express is starting a monthly feature examining restaurant inspections in Dallas County — highlighting those who have passed as well as those failing and at risk of closure.

With the City’s procedures publicized little — and often difficult to understand even when they are — The People’s Paper hopes to help Dallas residents get a grip on the safest (and the riskiest) places to go out.

The series’ first installment will alert readers to the riskiest, looking into restaurants with failing grades and those “on the bubble” of failing.

In later stories, The Dallas Express will look at some restaurants that have achieved perfect scores of 100 on their health inspections as well as some other creative looks at the restaurants in your area. A look at how customer reactions stack up against restaurants’ behind-the-scenes conditions may offer up some surprises in future months too.

Four Dallas restaurants failed county health inspections in the most recent round of data, which was filed between November and December 2022.

The City of Dallas maintains a record of health inspections from as early as October 2016 to mid-December of this year that details health code scores and violations for over 20,000 restaurants, service stations, and more across the Dallas area.

A score of 69 or below is considered failing. The scoring is weighted based on critical versus non-critical or minor violations.

A failing score requires either re-inspection within 10 days or closure of the restaurant until the violations are addressed and an additional review determines whether it can be allowed to reopen. In either case, the subsequent failure of a new inspection with a score at or below 59 would be grounds for closure.

Dallas Code Compliance Services details the parameters of inspection scores for these facilities. A score of 90 to 100 is considered “very good” and only requires a follow-up inspection at six-month intervals.

Per the most recent data from the City, failing grades account for about 0.02% of all restaurants inspected.

Below are the four failing establishments and the eight restaurants at risk.

Failing Scores:

Williams Chicken, 9359 Forest Ln.

Score: 66

Violations Include: products not maintained at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above; mold inside ice machine; toxic items labeling-non original container; lack of pest control; food contamination; labels on toxic materials.

Response: Omar Jabbar, vice president of operations, told The Dallas Express in an email on February 17: “Our updated score was 86. The staff was provided training to ensure that health codes are met and maintained.”

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Texaco, 6005 S R L Thornton Fwy.

Score: 66

Violations Include: equipment and staff cleanliness; sewage backup observed in the kitchen, coming from the sink drain; Texas Food Handler cards not available; food temperature control; pest control.

Response: A message for comment was not returned by the publishing deadline.

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Rice Bowl Express, 8306 Lake June Rd.

Score: 66

Violations Include: food and utensil storage on the floor; cleanliness; no Food Handler certificates for employees; no date marks on opened foods; no consumer advisory for raw fish.

Response: A message for comment was not returned by the publishing deadline.

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Zizi Ramen, Sushi & Phu, 9711 Plano Rd.

Score: 68

Violations Include: mold inside the ice machine; expired items; fly traps above the food area; food storage on the floor; labeling; no Food Handler certificates for employees; HACCP compliance; no log for food items; no advisory for raw fish.

Response: A message for comment was not returned by the publishing deadline.

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On the Bubble:

Restaurants with a score at or just above passing are as follows:

Sheger Ethiopian Grocery, 10190 Forest Ln. #125 — Score: 73

Ho Mei Express Chinese Kitchens, 1820 W Mockingbird Ln. #9 — Score: 73

Big Mama’s Chicken & Waffles, 9810 Forest Ln. — Score: 73

Yummy Donuts, 4441 Lawnview Ave. — Score: 73

Tacos la Gloria, 2301 Mountain Lake Rd. — Score: 72

Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar, 9191 Forest Ln. #2 — Score: 72

Micheladas El Matador, 7002 Military Pkwy. #100 — Score: 71

Lucky Texas – Fox Fuels #7, 8620 Lake June Rd. — Score: 70

Each of the four failing restaurants had an inspection score ranging from 66 to 68, placing them at risk of closure pending the results of the follow-up inspection.

Readers and residents who are interested in the Dallas food scene and the City’s standards can keep an eye out for The Dallas Express’ upcoming coverage of some of the top-performing restaurants, and more content. Feel free to use the comments section to let us know what other restaurant topics you’d like covered.