The GNR Public Health Department cited two restaurants for health code violations in a recent inspection. A steakhouse and a sushi restaurant in Metro Atlanta received unsatisfactory scores on July 30. Management at both restaurants must address the violations to avoid permit suspension.
Please note that the scores & grades mentioned here are from an inspection conducted on July 30, 2025. They may not represent the future health inspection status of the two restaurants in Metro Atlanta.
Highlights
- Uncle Jack’s Meat House and Mikado were violating several health codes, according to an inspection on July 30.
- The violations include a lack of managerial control and improper storage of temperature-controlled foods.
- A follow-up inspection will verify the implementation of corrections at the two restaurants.
Uncle Jack’s Meat House
- Where: 6590 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 201, Duluth, GA 30097
- Date: July 30, 2025
- Score: 51 U
An inspection of Uncle Jack’s Meat House, located in Sugarloaf, was conducted on July 30. Inspectors noted several food safety, sanitation, and employee hygiene violations. The report begins by pointing out the lack of managerial control in the facility, which resulted in most violations.
Inspectors observed employee drinks stored on shelves at the cook line and prep area. They were using unapproved containers for their water bottles. An employee was cleaning dining tables without changing cloth towels or dipping them into a sanitizer solution. The personal items of employees were on the prep table.
There was spoiled/liquidized lettuce in the walk-in cooler. The mussel tag didn’t have the date of the last piece sold. Temperature-controlled foods were stored above the required 41°F. There were foods in the coolers that were past their expiration date, including the mozzarella cheese, pork, and sautéed onions.
No date marked on the American cheese in the liner cooler. Thawed tuna was not removed from vacuum packaging prior to thawing, as required. There were several leaking containers of food and beer kegs stored under and adjacent to the walk-in cooler.
The in-use utensil for ice cream was in standing water, which measured at 75°F. The water should have been measured at 135°F. Clean food containers and pans were stored while wet. There were old stickers and residue left on the surfaces of in-use containers.
The walk-in cooler was not maintained in good condition. There was water leaking from the condenser, while ice was building up in front. The cooler didn’t close tightly, which was affecting the ambient air temperature inside.
Finally, inspectors also observed live and dead flies in the facility. Live flies were in the kitchen and the walk-in cooler. Dead flies were in the containers used to hold fruits and on the pans holding food.
A detailed health report of this inspection of Uncle Jack’s Meat House in Sugarloaf is available online.
Mikado
- Where: 1880 Mall of Georgia Blvd, Buford, GA 30519
- Date: July 30, 2025
- Score: 56 U
Mikado, a sushi restaurant in Buford, underwent a routine health inspection on July 30. Inspectors documented several health code violations during the inspection, which resulted from a lack of managerial control in the facility.
The lack of active managerial control led to violations in food safety, sanitary practices, and employee behavior. The facility did not have a signed employee health form for two employees. An employee was drinking out of a plastic cup that had no lid while in the kitchen.
An employee was rinsing a rag at a hand sink. At the sushi bar, an employee was prepping food while wearing a watch.
The shellstock (oysters) were stored in the restaurant but did not have the last 90-day tags. Oysters that were prepped also did not have the tag on them. The final cook temperature of the chicken was 145°F, instead of the standard 165°F.
There was no consumer advisory on the to-go menu for the undercooked items offered. The sushi rice was not labelled with a start and end time, which is a necessity for time-controlled foods.
There were at least ten boxes of food on the floor in the walk-in freezer. There were also two buckets of sauce and soup on the floor of the walk-in cooler. The handle of the scoop was in contact with the crunchy tempura and the ice.
A detailed health report of this inspection of Mikado is available online.
Follow-Up Inspection
A list of corrections has been handed to the management of the two restaurants. The repeated violations at Uncle Jack’s Meat House were corrected through an on-site training. The management of Mikado was asked to update the menu by August 8, 2025, as it could not be corrected on-site.
A follow-up inspection of the two facilities will be conducted within 10 days. The management needs to ensure all violations are fixed to avoid permit suspension.
Through routine inspections and timely corrections, the health department reduces risk to public health.
