The Philadelphia Department of Health conducted routine inspections at restaurants on September 3. A family-owned Irish bar and an Italian restaurant were found to be out of compliance with health regulations. Inspectors noted missing food safety certificates along with other sanitation problems.
Please note that the reports mentioned here are from routine inspections conducted on September 3 and may not represent the future health inspection status of the food establishments.
Highlights
- The latest health inspection reports of My Brother’s Irish Pub and Nipotina listed a range of food code violations.
- My Brother’s Irish Pub, the family-owned bar, had missing handwashing supplies and other sanitary issues.
- Nipotina, an Italian restaurant, serves sandwiches and other menu items.
My Brother’s Irish Pub
Inside view of My Brother’s Irish Pub (Source: Facebook @My Brother’s Irish Pub)
- Where: 4501 Salmon St, Philadelphia, PA 19137
- When: September 3, 2025
During an inspection this Wednesday, the Irish pub lacked the City of Philadelphia food safety certificate. My Brother’s Irish Pub only had a ServSafe certificate.
The inspection found no soap available at handwashing sinks in the basement and staff restrooms. A black residue was observed on the interior of the ice machine bin around the basement storage area.
My Brother’s Irish Pub’s ware wash (3-compartment) sink missed a sink stopper. Due to this, multi-use utensils and food equipment were not cleaned properly at the Irish bar.
The staff at the Philadelphia bar was using plastic crates and raw wood surfaces to store beverages and food items off the floor. Further, aluminum foil was lining the bottom shelf inside the bar’s reach-in refrigerator.
Non-NSF/ANSI-approved equipment was used in the Philadelphia bar’s serving and basement area. Inspectors also noted missing kickplates at the bar’s reach-in refrigerator. The lids on the ice machine in the basement were in poor condition. The walk-in cooler at My Brother’s Irish pub had cracked cement flooring.
The on-site inspector observed static dust on the wall and ceiling inside the walk-in cooler of the Philadelphia bar facility. Spillage on shelves and debris on floors were noted as well.
A date mark was absent on the installed filter on the ice machine in the basement area. The indirect waste was not drained appropriately at My Brother’s Irish Pub. Self-closing service was not available at the basement’s staff restroom area door.
Gaps were found inside the staff restroom area of the Philadelphia bar. The on-site inspector found a loose hanging ceiling ventilation fan and a rustic faucet at the handwash sink of the men’s restroom area. Flooring in poor repair, holes in the basement storage’s ceilings, and peeling paint in the ceiling at the customer’s seating area were noted as well.
The detailed inspection report of My Brother’s Irish Pub is available online.
Nipotina
- Where: 2238 S 21st St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
- When: September 3, 2025
Nipotina didn’t have a valid Food Establishment Personnel Food Safety Certificate during the inspection. Soap was unavailable in the food prep area’s handwash sink. Old food residue, utensils, and dishes were observed in the Italian restaurant’s handwash sink.
The restaurant kept uncovered foods in its reach-in refrigerator. During inspection, the on-site inspector found one of Nipotina’s employees wrapping half-eaten food on cutting boards in the food prep area.
Inspectors found that the restaurant did not keep certain foods at the required temperature range of 41°F or below for potentially hazardous foods like bacon jam and peppers.
The on-site inspector observed unauthorized people in the food prep area during the inspection on September 3. Food dispensing utensils in the pasta noodles were kept in direct contact with food, without removing the handles. Nipotina’s chest freezers and other equipment weren’t NSF/ANSI approved.
The cutting boards at the Italian food facility had deep scratches and couldn’t be cleaned or sanitized properly. Nipotina’s reach-in refrigerator’s fan cover was soiled in the basement. The restroom door was not self-closing.
A broom and a dustpan were kept on the floor of the Philadelphia restaurant. Employee clothes were hanging on the rack with bulk ingredients at Nipotina. The complete inspection report can be found online.
Both establishments were instructed to take corrective measures to avoid license revocation.
