During a routine health inspection at Pho Tai, a Vietnamese restaurant in Norcross, dead roaches were in a dry mixture, and a food strainer, propped against the interior of the waste receptacle, was twice returned to a pot of soup.

The restaurant had multiple critical violations resulting in a failing score of 37/U, down from 86/B earned in December.

Among other violations, the interior of the ice machine had a mold-like substance, and the dishwasher was not properly sanitizing dishes.

Two containers of noodles were past the time control for food safety and were discarded. Cooked potatoes were cooling improperly and were at unsafe temperatures. Raw beef and soup were thawing at room temperature.

Pho Tai, 1560 Indian Trail Lilburn Road, will be re-inspected.

In another note, Botica, a Mexican restaurant at 1820 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, pulled its health score back to an A, scoring 98/A on a follow-up inspection.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A man rides a bicycle in the rain along 10th Street in downtown Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)