According to the Mississippi Department of Health, seven restaurants and food service facilities in the Jackson area received failing health inspection ratings in February 2026.
As of March 2, 3 of the 9 factories have conducted follow-up inspections and rectified unqualified grades.
Here are the restaurants and food service facilities in District 5, which includes Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties, that received a failing rating of “C.”
Hinds County
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Picante Grill, The business at 960 North State Street in Jackson received a failing grade during a Feb. 12 permit inspection. Inspection revealed that food contact surfaces were unclean. As of March 2, Picante’s Grill has not conducted a follow-up inspection. The facility had previously received two other failing ratings, once in 2021 and once in 2016, both times being corrected in follow-up actions.
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ihope, A business located at 474 Briarwood Dr. in Jackson received a failing grade on a Feb. 25 permit inspection. The inspection found that food contact surfaces were not clean and that a permit from the previous inspection was not posted. As of March 2, no follow-up inspections have been conducted. The facility had never received a failing grade before.
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Golden Chopsticks Company, A business located at 803 Ellis Ave. in Jackson received a failing grade on a Feb. 4 license inspection. Inspection revealed that food contact surfaces were not clean and food was not separated and protected. The presence of insects and/or rodents was also noted. Corrective follow-up was conducted on February 18 and February 25, and all issues were corrected and given an A grade. The facility previously received two other failing ratings in 2024, but both were corrected in subsequent actions.
madison county
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Old Town Mexican Grill, Located at 116 Commercial Avenue. A factory in Guangzhou received a failing grade in a Feb. 3 license inspection. The inspection noted there was no certified duty manager, adequate hand-washing facilities were not provided and accessible and staff’s hands were unclean and not washed properly. During a follow-up inspection on February 24, all issues were rectified and Old Town Mexican Grill received a B grade, the first time the restaurant received a failing grade.
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51 Food Station, The business, located at 3579 Liberty Street in Canton, received a failing grade on a Feb. 4 permit inspection. The inspection noted that there was no permit posted from the previous inspection. On February 25, after a follow-up inspection, all problems were rectified, and 51 Food Stop received a B grade. This was the first time the restaurant received a failing grade.
rankin county
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Mazzio’s Pizza, Located at 118 Service Avenue. A plant in Brandon received a failing grade on a Feb. 11 permit inspection. The inspection noted that there was no certified manager on duty, food contact surface areas were not clean and piping was installed without proper backflow devices. A follow-up inspection was conducted on February 25, and all problems were resolved with a B level. This is the first time the restaurant has received a failing rating.
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Plato Felice bar and grill, Located at 132 Lakeland Heights Blvd. A facility in Flowood received a failing rating during a Feb. 4 permit inspection due to the presence of insects and/or rodents. This comes after the restaurant failed two health inspections since January. The restaurant failed an inspection on Jan. 12, citing the presence of insects and/or rodents. By the time of a follow-up inspection on January 23, the restaurant had not been able to correct the problem. Plato Feliz 2 Bar & Grill has never failed a health inspection before.
health inspection grading system
MSDH classifies health inspections into grades A, B and C, with grade C considered unsatisfactory.
The MSDH website stipulates the following grading standards:
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Rating: “Facility inspections did not reveal serious violations. Serious violations of the National Food Code are those that are more likely to result in food contamination, illness, or other health risks.”
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Grade B: “Serious violations were identified but corrected under the supervision of inspecting environmental staff. No further corrective action is required.”
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C grade: “Serious violations were discovered during the inspection but were not corrected in part or in whole. The facility will be re-inspected and all violations must be corrected within no more than 10 days. The re-inspection date will be published on the score report. If the violations are not corrected within the specified time, steps will be taken to suspend the facility’s operating permit. If serious violations are repeated since the last inspection, even if corrected at that time, a C grade will be assigned.”
A Mississippi Department of Health sign appears on Monday, March 4, 2024, in Jackson, Mississippi.
Ross Riley He is a staff writer for USA TODAY NETWORK’s Clarion Ledger. You can contact him at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform (formerly Twitter @GreenOkra1).
This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Bugle-Ledger: Jackson, Mississippi area restaurant facility fails February health inspection
