SLO County restaurant inspections: See the lowest- and highest-rated in January

One restaurant had a broken cooler, another was “in great need of cleaning and sanitizing,“ and several were storing foods at the wrong temperature.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in January during hundreds of surprise visits to eating and drinking establishments.

Many food and beverage sellers passed with flying colors, while others needed to make serious improvements.

Every month, The Tribune prints the lowest- and highest-ranked eateries to give diners more information about the places where they buy food and drinks.

Inspectors visit restaurants, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores, mini-marts and more on a monthly basis. They score eateries on a 100-point scale and make deductions based on the severity of the violations they find.

To check out the safety and cleanliness of your favorite restaurants around the county, visit www.EatSafeSLO.org and use the interactive map to view full inspection reports.

Here are the highs and lows of the 187 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in January.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Poke Morro, 121 W. Branch St., Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 16.5

Notes: A health inspector observed raw fish and meat being stored above ready-to-serve food in the walk-in fridge, no soap in a handwashing station and a hole in the ceiling of the storage room. The restaurant also did not have a consumer advisory posted in the business or on the menu, and food safety certificates were not available at the time of the inspection. The health inspector could also not verify whether the restaurant had a valid health permit to operate. Poke Morro lost 5 points for repeat violations.

Sushi 805, 460 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Points lost: 16

Notes: A health inspector observed foods that should be stored at a temperature below 44 degrees being stored at between 44 and 53 degrees. Top unit of cooler was also left open. No detectable sanitizer was measured in the sushi prep sanitizing bucket and the pH log for the sushi rice was not up to date, according to the inspection notes. Utensils were being washed in the food prep sink, wiping cloths stored on food prep surfaces and equipment surfaces had food debris on them. Sushi 805 lost 5 points for repeat violations.

60 Degree Steakhouse and Pub, 4090 Burton Drive, Cambria

Points lost: 16

Notes: A health inspector noted the restaurant was “in great need of cleaning and sanitizing,” saying routine cleaning appeared to be only minimal and that repeated violations had not been corrected. The restaurant was ordered to have a reinspection after Jan. 31 to ensure compliance. Meanwhile, the inspector also observed face masks were not being worn in accordance with the SLO County Public Health Department’s ordinance (which has since been lifted) and that there was no sanitizing bucket setup for use in the kitchen. The ambient temperature of the cooler was also several degrees above what is safe for storing meats, and beef, fish and bacon in the cooler were all measured at temperatures between 43 and 45 degrees (the recommendation is below 41 degrees). The restaurant lost 2 points for repeat violations.

Los Berros Market and Deli, 2021 Los Berros Road, Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 12.5

Notes: A health inspector found cooked rice at the restaurant was being stored at a temperature of 60 degrees; when asked, staff said rice was cooked early in the morning. The inspector also observed debris build up on fridge, microwave and fan above door, plus buildup on the ice machine. The market lost 7 points for repeat violations.

Allegretto, 2700 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles

Points lost: 12.5

Notes: A health inspector found an unlabeled toxic substance at the restaurant and utensils sitting in the hand sink at the server station. Paper towels and soap were also missing from the bar hand-washing sink.

These businesses also lost 10 or more points due to violations.

• Yamato Japanese Restaurant II, 1741 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

• Sunset Thai, 561 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach

• Old San Luis BBQ Co., 670 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo

• Roots on Railroad, 1304 Railroad St., Paso Robles

Highest-rated restaurants

These stores and restaurants received scores between 99 and 100, with few to no violations.

San Luis Obispo

• Baht, 3845 S. Higuera St.
• Broad Street Giant Grinder Shop, 1901 Broad St.
• Brown Butter Cookie Company, 1003 Osos St.
• Central Coast Wines, 712 Higuera St.
• Georgipies Catering, Department of Food Services Operation (opening inspection)
• Kin Coffee Bar, 1340 Tafft St. (opening inspection)

• Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates, 1445 Monterey St. (change of ownership inspection)

• Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates, 3845 Higuera St.

• My Friend Mike’s, 2324 Broad St. (opening inspection)

• Shalimar Restaurant, 3820 Broad St.
• SLO Sweets, 1020 Court St.
• Starbucks Coffee #620, 885 Higuera St.
• Starbucks Coffee #6731, 3970 Broad St.
• Torricella Pizzeria, 3845 Higuera St. (opening inspection)
• Veg on the Edge, 3845 Higuera St.
• Whole.Ness Health, Department of Food Services Operation (opening inspection)

North Coast

• Chowa Bowl, 898 Main St., Morro Bay (opening inspection)
• Taco de Mexico, 980 Main St., Morro Bay

South County

• Bee House Thai Cuisine, 245 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach (change of ownership inspection)
• Joy Shell Beach, 1801 Shell Beach Road, Pismo Beach
• Marley’s Dollar, 505 Orchard Road, Nipomo
• The Mayor’s Place, 181 W. Tefft St., Nipomo
• Monarch Club, 1645 Trilogy Parkway, Nipomo
• Nipomo Marketplace, 501 W. Tefft St., Nipomo
• Reimer’s Candies, 324 Front St., Avila Beach
• Yo Banana Boy Inc., 1381 4th St., Oceano

North County

• Bless Your Heart Bakery, LLC, 1335 Railroad St.
• Cane Tiki Restaurant, 1240 Park St., Paso Robles (opening inspection)
• Left Bank Cafe at Creekside, 5325 Vineyard Dr., Paso Robles (opening inspection)
• Le Dolce Vita, 98 S. Main St., Templeton
• Paso Grill, 1401 Park St., Paso Robles (opening inspection)
• Paso Robles Wine Merchant, 1803 Spring St., Paso Robles

This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 9:00 AM.

Kaytlyn Leslie

The Tribune

805-781-7928 (voicemails only)

Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.