Health Department Orders Pittsburgh-Area Eatery To Close

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Allegheny County Health Department has ordered the closure of Hook Fish & Chicken, on Loews Drive in North Versailles, for numerous health code violations.

An inspection on Monday revealed the eatery lacks enough functional refrigeration units to maintain operations. Five of six refrigerators are non-operational and so is the walk-in cooler.

Numerous foods were found to have unsafe temperatures, including cooked chicken wings, five packages of tilapia, cod, whiting and catfish in the prep unit. Bags of frozen fried appetizers were found to have begun thawing.

Dried food residue was present on walls throughout the cooking area, including behind the prep table and microwave.

There was no evidence of sanitizing at the restaurant. Nor was there hot water at the hand sink in the kitchen or the restroom. There were no paper towels in the restroom.

An employee was observed failing to wash their hands after handling a cellphone and before donning new gloves.

The "closed" placard is posted at an establishment when an imminent health hazard is identified at a restaurant or if it has been operating without proper permits. It is unlawful to operate a food facility with a "closed" placard.

See the entire inspection report here.