When a Sacramento restaurant fails a health inspection on a Tuesday, the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department doesn't just walk away — they come back on Wednesday to see if anything changed. In the case of Sumer Nights, the Iraqi and Mediterranean restaurant on Watt Avenue that reviewers have been calling one of their favorite spots in the city, Wednesday's reinspection did not go well. Inspectors found cockroaches in the kitchen. The red placard went up. The facility is closed.
What the Reinspection Found
The closure, entered March 26, 2026, came during a follow-up visit designed to verify that the restaurant had addressed major violations flagged in a routine inspection the day before, according to the official report from the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department. Instead of finding corrections, inspector M. Rodriguez found live cockroaches — and the report notes this as a repeat violation, meaning the cockroach problem had already been flagged before.
The specifics from the report are not abstract. Inspectors documented one live nymph cockroach on the wall above the warewashing sink, one live nymph on the wall below that same sink, and one live nymph on the wall above the steam table at the cook's line. Then there's the detail that doesn't require much elaboration: ten dead juvenile cockroaches on the piece of tape holding up a handwashing sign at the warewashing sink. That is not a marginal infestation. That is cockroaches living, dying, and accumulating on the infrastructure of an active kitchen.
The closure was issued under California Health and Safety Code Section 114259.1, which requires all food facilities to be kept free of vermin. To reopen, Sumer Nights must bring in professional pest control, clean and sanitize all food contact and preparation areas, and seal the structural gaps that are letting insects in — including a roof access point with a gap wider than a quarter inch that had already been flagged on a prior inspection and still wasn't closed.
The Repeat Violations Tell a Longer Story
What's striking about the reinspection report isn't just that cockroaches were still present — it's how many violations on the sheet are labeled repeat or second repeat. The missing paper towel dispenser at the server station handwashing sink: second repeat violation. The mop sink lacking an anti-siphon device on its hose connection: second repeat violation. The outdoor bug zapper stored inside the dining area: repeat violation. The roof access gap: repeat violation.
That last detail — an indoor bug zapper stored in the old bar and server station area — is its own editorial commentary. Bug zappers are designed for outdoor use precisely because you don't want flying insects, attracted to the UV light, congregating near food service areas. Keeping one indoors suggests the facility has had an ongoing problem with airborne pests that someone was attempting to manage in a non-compliant way.
There's also the matter of the warewashing machine, which has been out of service and tagged with a sign to that effect. Staff have been washing dishes manually. It's a workable stopgap in the short term, but it's another piece of infrastructure that isn't functioning as required.
About Sumer Nights
Owner Barakat Mahdi's Sumer Nights has developed a real following among Sacramento's Iraqi diaspora and the broader community of diners hunting for something more interesting than the average strip-mall Mediterranean. Reviewers on DoorDash and Yelp return specifically for the lamb quzi — lamb over peshawari rice with raisins, almonds, and carrots — and the rotisserie chicken, which gets described with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for food people are slightly embarrassed by how much they like. The mixed kebab plate, the shawarma, the homemade falafel, the complimentary appetizers that come with entrees: the restaurant has earned its reputation one generous plate at a time. It's the sort of place where regulars say things like "my favorite restaurant in Sacramento."
That reputation makes the inspection record more jarring, not less. Sumer Nights is classified as a 31-60 seat, medium-risk facility by the county — not a large high-volume operation, but a neighborhood spot with repeat customers who trust the kitchen. Those customers deserve to know what was found on reinspection.
The restaurant's current status can be checked at inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/sacramento (facility ID FA0012818). Sumer Nights can be reached at (916) 750-5088.
