Flies and no food handler cards: See SLO County’s July restaurant inspections
One restaurant had flies, two had employees without food handling cards and several had issues with sinks.
Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in July 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 July.
Lowest-rated restaurants
60 Degree Steakhouse & Pub, 4090 Burton Drive, Cambria
Points lost: 28.5
Notes: During a routine inspection in July, a health inspector found food employees were “unable to demonstrate food safety knowledge practices applicable to their assigned duties,” resulting in the restaurant losing five points from its score. According to the inspection notes, an employee was seen eating and drinking in non-designated areas where contamination can result; fruit flies, gnats and houseflies were observed in the facility; and there was no lid on the cool-prep unit, meaning it was open for contamination. The inspector also observed both the walk-in cooler and freezer were in need of cleaning, saying “old food spills,” “mold-like growth” and “opened broken food containers” were present. The facility was expected to be re-examined in August.
Panderia Carmelita #2, 1051 S. 13th St., Grover Beach
Points lost: 18.5
Notes: A health inspector in July observed “potentially hazardous foods” being kept at 51 degrees Fahrenheit in a prep top unit when those foods are supposed to be kept at 45 degrees or below or 135 degrees and above. The inspector also observed clean dishes being kept in the mop sink, as well as severe leaks in the kitchen’s other sinks. The inspector also requested the restaurant remove all broken equipment from the facility and a fabric chair from the kitchen because kitchen equipment is required to be non-absorbent and easily cleanable. The restaurant was ordered to have a re-inspection sometime in August.
Sushi Kokku, 581 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach
Points lost: 15.5
Notes: A health inspector observed employees improperly thawing frozen fish during the inspection of the Pismo Beach sushi restaurant, as well as preparing raw fish on a counter near a hand-washing sink that did not have a splash guard. Employees on site also told the inspector they did not have food handler cards, according to the inspection notes. The inspector also saw dishes and food debris inside both the front and back hand-washing sinks and mildew growth on the reach-in refrigerator near the prep area.
Las Cambritas, 2336 Main St., Cambria
Points lost: 15.5
Notes: An inspector in July noted a number of violations regarding sinks at the Cambria restaurant. The inspector saw a cart being stored in front of a hand-washing sink in the kitchen, as well as no paper towels or soap at several of the sinks. The inspector also observed potentially hazardous foods being kept in a too-warm unit. Several of the violations were repeat violations, resulting in extra points lost.
These businesses also lost 10 or more points due to violations.
Kitchenette, 105 S. Main St., Templeton
Arco AM/PM #5281, 6100 San Anselmo Road, Atascadero
201 Kitchen SLO, 857 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo
Mistura Restaurant, 570 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo
Byblos Mediterranean Grill, 5945 Traffic Way, Atascadero
The Avila Market, 354 Front St., Avila Beach
Highest-rated restaurants
These stores and restaurants received scores of 100, with few to no violations.
San Luis Obispo
- Chipotle Mexican Grill #1708, 297 Madonna Road
- Jan’s Place, 1817 Osos St.
- Madonna Shell, 204 Madonna Road
- Railroad BBQ Co., caterer
- Sequoia Sandwich Company, 893 Higuera St.
- Sheila Kearns Chocolate & Confections, 722 Marsh St.
North Coast
- Gilligan’s Sandwich Shop, 480 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay
- Grassy Bar Oyster Company, 1215 Embarcadero, Morro Bay
- Pelican Inn and Suites, 6316 Moonstone Drive, Cambria
South County
- Avila Lighthouse Suites, 550 Front St., Avila Beach
- Five Foley’s Inc., 921 Griffin, Grover Beach
- Kennedy Athletic Club, 1299 James Way, Arroyo Grande
- Kon Tiki Inn and Vista Restaurant, 1621 Price St.
- Monarch Club, 1645 Trilogy Parkway, Nipomo
- Nurtured Families, 1508 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach
- Okui Strawberry N Fruit, 1234 Highland Way, Grover Beach
- Taco Bell #21177, 535 Tefft St., Nipomo
- The Great American Melodrama, 1823 Highway 1, Oceano
The Sip Line, 6800 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande
North County
- Derby Wine Estates, 525 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles
- Juiceboss, 5940 Entrada Ave., Atascadero
- Malibu Brew Coffee, 5955 East Mall, Atascadero
- McDonald’s, 186 Niblick Road, Paso Robles
- Mr. C’s Catering & Kitchen, 8550 El Camino Real, Atascadero
- Opolo Vineyards, 7110 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
- Paris Valley Road Winery, 5265 E. Highway 46, Paso Robles
- Pozo Saloon, 90 W. Pozo Road, Santa Margarita
- Shandon Market, 240 E. Centre St., Shandon
- The Inn at Opolo Kitchen, 6970 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
This story was originally published August 26, 2022 at 9:00 AM.
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