A cluttered kitchen and ice cream without a license: See SLO County June restaurant inspections

One local restaurant had a leaky freezer and sink. Another eatery featured a “very cluttered” kitchen and one was serving soft-serve ice cream without a license.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in June 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 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in June.

Lowest-rated restaurants

San Miguel Market and Deli, 1299 Mission St., San Miguel

Points lost: 20

Notes: During an inspection in June, a health inspector noted several leaks throughout the facility — one in the walk-in freezer that left the walls and floors covered in a layer of ice and another in a sink that prevented employees from washing their hands while preparing food. The inspector observed a door being kept open that let in flies, which employees then used a bug zapper to kill against health code rules. There was also no sanitizer bucket handy while employees were slicing meat, according to the inspection notes.

La Palapa Baywood, 1346 Second St., Los Osos

Points lost: 15

Notes: A health inspector said “overall improvement is needed in facility maintenance and staff performance” to bring the restaurant up to code. According to the inspector, the kitchen was “very cluttered and disorganized” with shoes, jackets, cosmetics and other personal items stored with food products and equipment. The inspector also observed dirty and damaged floors, multiple pieces of equipment that were broken or deteriorating and soil and debris on surfaces throughout the kitchen. Both food and cleaning supplies were unlabeled.

Tomasko’s Salt Water Taffy, 630 Cypress St., Pismo Beach

Points lost: 13.5

Notes: A health inspector observed that employees were washing dishes with dish soap, and not using sanitizer as required by health code. The business was ordered to ensure sanitizer is available for use at all times in order to remain open. The inspector also noted they could not verify food safety certifications for workers and ordered the business to ensure “at least one employee has a valid food manager certificate and all other employees have a valid food handlers card.”

Slappy’s Chowder House, 306 Pier Ave., Oceano

Points lost: 13

Notes: During inspection, a health inspector observed a too-warm preparation unit being used for preparing corn dogs and hot dogs and a soft-serve ice cream machine that was being operated without the appropriate license from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The restaurant was using a propped open side door as a pass-through window, against code that requires pass-through windows to have screens to protect the kitchen from contamination. The inspector also saw dirt and grime in the floor sink and on the floors below a sink.

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

• Sylvester’s Burgers, 1875 Front St., Oceano

• Tropical Hawaiian BBQ, 1436 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande

• Cool Cat Cafe, 198 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach

Highest-rated restaurants

These stores and restaurants received scores of 100, with no violations.

San Luis Obispo

• Bread Bike, 2060 Parker St., Suite A
• Burger King No. 9678, 1358 Madonna Road
• Classic Gourmet Shop, 100 Madonna Road
• Clean Machine Meals, Department of Food Services Operation
• Danior Enterprises, 4211 Broad St.
• Jamba Juice No. 1, 17 Chorro St.
• Laurel Lane Market and Liquor, 1291 Laurel Lane
• My Friend Mike’s, 2324 Broad St.
• Nautical Bean No. 2, 11560 Los Osos Valley Road
• Oki Kohi Espresso Bar, 2252 Broad St., Suite 130
• Piadina at Hotel San Luis Obispo, 877 Palm St.
• Rambling Spirits, 3845 S. Higuera St., Suite 114
• Snofari Frozen Yogurt, 1352 Madonna Road
• Target, 11990 Los Osos Valley Road
• The Mercantile, 950 Chorro St.
• Workingman’s Bread, Caterer

North Coast

• Ace Sushi @ ALB6345, 730 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
• Advantage Sales and Market, 730 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
• Blue Sky Bistro, 699 Embarcadero, Suite 6, Morro Bay
• Camp Yeager, 525 Ashby Lane, Cambria
• Carousel Taffy, 845 Embarcadero, Suite A, Morro Bay
• Nautical Bean, 1399 Second St., Los Osos
• Rite Aid #5830, 740 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
• Three Stacks and a Rock Brewing Company, 595 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

South County

• Arroyo Grande Bakery, 1231 Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande
• Big Al’s at the Beach, 445 First St., Avila Beach
• Fuego, 1187 Grand Ave., Grover Beach
• Humdinger Brewing, 116 W. Branch St., Arroyo Grande
• Kraken Coffee Co., 310 Front St., Avila Beach
• Lopez Lake Marina and Store, 6820 Lopez Lake Drive, Arroyo Grande
• Sinor-Lavallee, 550 First St., Avila Beach
• Subway Sandwiches, 1427 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande

North County

• Cali Paso, 4230 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles
• Lupita’s Party Supplies, 8575 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Vin 13 Bar and Cellar, 1244 Pine St., Suite 102C, Paso Robles

This story was originally published July 28, 2022 at 5:00 AM.