The nation’s capital may be a hotspot for up and coming restaurants, but two Ottawa eateries are racking up food violations according to the municipal body that regulates inspections.

Feleena’s, a Mexican food restaurant in the Glebe, and Stella Osteria, an Italian restaurant in the Byward Market, have accumulated 30 violations each according to data made available by Ottawa Public Health.

Ottawa Public Health is the regulatory body that monitors restaurants in the city. They are mandated under the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act.

The 30 violations mean that the restaurants were “not in compliance” with the Health Protection and Promotions Act.

When it comes to food violation reports, ‘not in compliance’ violations can be critical or not critical, explains Brenda, who did not give her full name, from Ottawa Public Health. “We always use the example of a broken floor tile, that’s a non-critical. Does it have a direct impact in possibly or probably having a negative outcome of food preparation? Less likely.”

Critical infractions include uncooked foods, foods not refrigerated, and contaminated foods.

“When there is a deficiency we will go back and have a reassess date to make sure a restaurant corrects it,” states Kathy Downey, a project manager at Ottawa Public Health, Food Safety and Safe Water.

The most recent report of Feleena’s states the restaurant was in compliance with the Act, but Stella Osteria’s report was not.

Stella Osteria’s most recent ‘not in compliance’ violation was on January 19, 2015. The report issued was a non-critical violation of “sanitation, design and maintenance”. The last critical report for the restaurant was July 2014, when raw foods were not separated from ready-to-eat foods.

Stella Osteria and Feleena’s are not the only Ottawa restaurants with public health violations. Below are the top offenders in Ottawa:

The critical hazardous food infraction poses a serious health threat to restaurant goers.

“As a chef you have the task of feeding people delicious and exciting meals, but most importantly, you have the responsibility of making sure your food is safe,” states Ariana Emond, a student at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Ottawa.

According to the Food Pages website, Stella Osteria is ranked the #10 restaurant in Ottawa.

Although critical infractions are corrected immediately by the health inspector on site, Downey states that there are implications for repeat offenders such as Feleena’s and Stella Osteria.

“We do have a strategy in place that we would issue a Provincial Offense Notice, which is a ticket,” states Downey.

Each ticket has a fine which is threatening to the restaurant.

Implementing fines are just one way that Ottawa Public Health has been cracking down on Ottawa restaurants.

Legal action has been taken against repeat offenders, states Downey. In the past, some high-risk food establishments have been forced to shut down.

“A consumer going into a restaurant should expect that the restaurant is safe to eat and should expect that it is operating in compliance with regulations,” states Downey.

“The important things by far are the quality of the food, the quality of the service and the hospitality that a restaurant offers me,” states Anne DesBrisay, Ottawa food critic and author of Capital Dining. “It’s cleanliness, it’s a distance between whether it looks like it needs a fresh coat of paint of whether the washrooms look like they haven’t been cleaned in a week.”

Ottawa Public Health encourages patrons to phone in when they notice a potential health or safety risk.

“By not following food safety regulations you risk not only losing customers or even your business, but also any respect you’ve gained and worked for in the industry,” states Emond.

Scroll below to see the Top 25 Ottawa restaurants with violations.