‘Abundance of gnats’ found at Arlington restaurant; 3 closed during inspections
Three Arlington restaurants were closed for critical health violations, including gnats and no hot water, during the July 13-26 inspections, according to data from the city compiled by the Star-Telegram
Pei Wei Asian Diner at 4133 S. Cooper St. scored 76 and was closed July 24. The inspector found “an abundance of gnats” near food prep areas, according to a city of Arlington spokesperson. The temperature in the reach-in coolers wasn’t low enough to store food safely, and some employees weren’t washing their hands before changing gloves. The restaurant was allowed to reopen the next day after a follow-up inspection.
Sonic Drive-In at 1201 S. Bowen Road scored 85 and was also closed during the July 24 inspection. There was no hot water in the building, the spokesperson said, and the coolers weren’t storing food at a safe temperature. Sonic was allowed to reopen the same day after the hot water was restored and the coolers repaired.
Shawarma Press at 4801 S. Cooper St. received a high score of 91 but was closed July 25 due to no hot water. The restaurant also didn’t have a way to sanitize food contact surfaces, and the coolers weren’t keeping food at a safe temperature, according to the spokesperson. Shawarma Press was allowed to reopen after a follow-up inspection the next day.
Arlington restaurants are scored on a 100-point system, with 100 being a perfect score. Restaurants and other places that serve food that score 75 or less require a follow-up inspection, and a score of 70 is considered extremely poor.
No restaurants failed inspection, but at least two received low scores.
First Chinese BBQ at 2214 S. Collins St. scored 72 on July 14. Some employees weren’t using hair restraints, unapproved chemicals were being use to clean food contact surfaces and foods weren’t being held at a safe temperature. The inspector noted during the July 18 follow-up that most of the violations had been corrected, the spokesperson said.
Saltgrass Steak House at 1051 W. Interstate 20 Hwy. scored 75 on July 23. Some employees weren’t washing their hands before preparing food, according to the spokesperson. Old food residue was found on equipment and some coolers weren’t holding food at a safe temperature. Follow-up inspections were conducted July 25 and 28.
At least 14 establishments received a perfect score of 100.
Here are the inspection scores and violations for restaurants within the city limits of Arlington for July 13th - July 26th, 2025 A score of 100 is a perfect score and 70 is considered to be extremely poor. Reinspections will be conducted for restaurants that score 75 or less. If serious health and sanitation violations are considered an imminent health hazard, the restaurant will be closed until the identified health hazard has been mitigated. To search the restaurant inspections, type in a restaurant name. You can also sort by score.
Some data analysis in this story was conducted using AI. For more information on how the Star-Telegram and McClatchy newsrooms are using AI, go here.
