Roaches, Fuzzy Substance, Mildew, More Violations Found At VA Restaurants

VIRGINIA — Some signs of a restaurant with health violations are easy to spot; weird smells, crawling insects or unkempt employees are all red flags. But sometimes the problem is harder to pin down, such as food stored at improper temperatures, unclean kitchen equipment, or insufficient handwashing.

Some recent restaurant inspections throughout Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg uncovered dead roaches, mildew in the ice machine, imitation crab advertised as real crab on the menu, and a fuzzy substance on food.

Then there are commercial kitchens that are immaculately clean, surpass all safety standards and serve up delicious food.

"In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to Virginia Department of Health's website.

Do you know how clean your favorite coffee shop, go-to restaurant or school kitchen is? Look through these recent food safety inspections from around Northern Virginia and Fredericksburg, courtesy of Patch.

• Woodbridge Restaurant Inspections: Dead Roaches, Up To 25 Violations
• Fuzzy Substance On Food: Ashburn, Sterling Restaurant Inspections
• Shrimp Thawing In Stagnant Water At McLean Restaurant: Inspection
• Imitation Crab On Menu As Authentic Crab At Fredericksburg Restaurant
• Manassas Restaurant Inspections: Ice Machine Mildew, 17 Violations
• Cookline, Sushi Prep Sinks Used For Cleaning Utensils: Inspections
• Woodbridge Restaurant Inspections: Grease Buildup, Undated Chicken