Inspectors checked out 217 SLO County restaurants last month. See what they found

One restaurant had a Gatorade stashed in the ice machine, two had employee drinks in food prep areas and several had issues with sanitizer solutions.

One even had to throw out oysters, ahi tuna steaks, chicken wings, cheesecake and more after the freezer went on the fritz.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in October 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 217 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in October.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Kelleco To Go, 1255 Las Tablas Road, Templeton

Points lost: 16

Notes: During its surprise visit in October, the Templeton grab-and-go eatery was ordered to stop frying and cooking grease-releasing items because it had an unapproved hood system in the facility — a fire hazard. “The local fire department has been notified,” the inspection notes read. The restaurant also lost points because its freezer was not working, forcing the establishment to discard its contents: “rice pilaf, meatballs, chicken wings, ahi tuna steaks, French fries, oysters, cheesecake, pastry dough and salami.” Employees were also told to stop keeping personal beverages in food prep areas and to ensure proper sanitizer use for cleaning.

La Chata Authentic Mexican Food, 628 S. Main St., Templeton

Points lost: 15

Notes: The Templeton Mexican restaurant lost a number of points during its routine inspection in October largely due to issues around hand washing. According to inspection notes, the hand-washing sink was blocked and paper towels were not available in a dispenser at the time of inspection. The restaurant also lost points for keeping “potentially hazardous foods” on the counters without temperature controls and for having employees without food handler cards.

Paso Robles Brewing Company, 201 Spring St., Paso Robles

Points lost: 14

Notes: During its routine October inspection, Paso Robles Brewing Company lost the majority of its points for not properly using sanitizer solutions. According to inspection notes, the restaurant’s employees were improperly filling sanitizer buckets while the kitchen’s three-compartment sink was also not dispensing the correct amount of sanitizer. Meanwhile, employees were also told to stop eating in food preparation locations or eating while preparing food.

Marv’s Pizza and Sports Bar, 729 12th St., Paso Robles

Points lost: 13.5

Notes: Marv’s Pizza and Sports Bar was briefly shut down during its routine inspection because there was no hot water available on site. According to inspection notes, the water heater was fixed and hot water restored later the same day. The inspector also observed an employee cup in the dough room without a lid and an employee eating breakfast in the same room. The restaurant was ordered to stop the practice immediately to prevent cross contamination. The inspector also observed a previously opened bottle of barbecue sauce sitting out when it should have been refrigerated and an employee keeping a bottle of Gatorade in the ice machine.

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

• San Miguel Market & Deli, 1299 Mission St., San Miguel

• Depalo & Sons, 2665 Shell Beach Road, Pismo Beach

• Monarca Restaurant, 1104 Pine St., Paso Robles

• Chevron Station #98425, 1284 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Highest-rated restaurants

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

San Luis Obispo

• 201 Kitchen SLO, 857 Higuera St.
• 7-Eleven Inc. Store #21006, 1301 Monterey St.
• Anemoia LLC DBA Linnaea’s Cafe Kitchen, 3468 Sacramento Drive, Unit D
• Antigua Brewing Company, 1009 Monterey St.
• Baht, 3845 S Higuera St. Ste 106
• Bear and the Wren, 570 Higuera St. # 2
• Bings Bao Buns, 3845 S Higuera St. Ste 108
• Bottlecraft SLO, 3845 S Higuera St. Ste 102
• Brasserie SLO, 1119 Garden St.
• Bravo Pizza Plus, 3971 S Higuera St. # 120
• Budget Cafe, 3121 S Higuera St. J
• Buen Dia Coffee, 570 Higuera St. Ste 190
• Cornercopia Fresh Market, 606 Crestmont Drive
• CVS Pharmacy #9345, 717 Marsh St.
• Firestone Grill, 1001 Higuera St. A
• French Hospital, 1911 Johnson Ave.
• Fresh Donuts, 3810 Broad St. 4
• Gold Land BBQ, 570 Higuera St. # 135
• Granada Hotel & Bistro / Nourish, 1126 Morro St.
• Jay Birds, 3845 S Higuera St. Ste 104
• Jewel of India, 2115 Broad St.
• La Lomita Ranch, 1995 La Lomita Way
• The Mark, 673 Higuera St.
• Nobu Hawaiian BBQ, 1308 Monterey St. Ste 110
• Novo Restaurant & Bakery, 726 Higuera St.
• Old San Luis BBQ Co, 670 Higuera St. #B
• Petra Mediterranean Pizza, 1210 Higuera St.
• Poke Chef, 588 California Blvd.
• Rite Aid #5820, 1251 Johnson Ave.
• San Luis Obispo Golf & Country Club Inc, 255 Country Club Drive
• San Luis Taqueria, 1032 Chorro St.
• San Luis Transitional Care, 1575 Bishop St.
• Sequoia Sandwich Company, 893 Higuera St.
• Sinsheimer Snack Bar, 900 Southwood Drive
• Starbucks #81531, 1501 Froom Ranch Way
• Thai Easy Bowl, 13 Santa Rosa St.
• Thai Palace Restaurant, 1015 Court St.
• The Habit Burger Grill, 839 Higuera St.
• The Mayan Ice Cream, 3220 Broad St. Ste 104
• Williams-Sonoma #6213, 864 Monterey St.
• Yanagi Sushi, 1203 Marsh St. #A1

North Coast

• Ariana’s Market, 515 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay
• Boat Yard Marketplace, 875 Embarcadero, Morro Bay
• Coastal Taproom, 821 Cornwall St., Cambria
• High Tide LLC, 500 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay
• Mijit Mart, 1700 Embarcadero, Morro Bay
• Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay
• Old Cayucos Tavern, 130 N Ocean Ave., Cayucos
• Once a Day Desserts, 2028 E Main St., Cambria
• Rite Aid #5830, 740 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
• San Simeon Liquor, 431 Pico Ave., San Simeon

South County

• Avila Bay Athletic Club, 6699 Bay Laurel Drive, Avila Beach
• Avila Valley Barn, 560 Avila Beach Drive, Avila Beach
• Avila Valley Barn Ice Cream Shop, 560 Avila Beach Drive, Avila Beach
• Jimmy D’s Spaghetti Joint, 1301 W Grand Ave., Grover Beach
• Pismo Bowl, 277 Pomeroy Ave., Pismo Beach

North County

• Ace Sushi at Vons 2314, 7135 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Amstrdm Coffee House, 6480 Palma Ave., Atascadero
• Barley and Boar Kitchen and Brewhouse, 5925 Entrada Ave., Atascadero
• Cane Tiki Room, 1240 Park St., Paso Robles
• Changala Winery, 3770 Willow Creek Road, Paso Robles
• Chevron #1971, 1302 24th St., Paso Robles
• Creekside Inn of Paso Robles, 5325 Vineyard Dr., Paso Robles
• Craveable Grazeables, 345 Championship Ln., Templeton
• Cured and Cultivated, 825 Riverside Ave. # 5, Paso Robles
• Danish Care Center, 10805 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Dollar Tree Stores Inc. #10402, 7101 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Dragon Palace Restaurant, 825 Spring St., Paso Robles
• Fish Gaucho, 1244 Park St., Paso Robles
• H. Cheval Coffee, 840 11th St. Ste 104, Paso Robles
• Halter Ranch, 2300 Airport Road, Paso Robles
  
  
• High Ridge Manor, 5458 High Ridge Road, Paso Robles
  
  
• Marv’s Station, 6700 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Mitchell Vineyard & Winery, 2515 Mitchell Ranch Way, Paso Robles
• Niner Wine Estates, LLC, 2705 Anderson Road, Paso Robles
  
  
• O’neill Beverages Co. LLC DBA Robert Hall Winery, 3443 Mill Road, Paso Robles
  
  
• Oakview Inc, 8455 Santa Rosa Road, Atascadero
  
  
• Paso Robles Inn Ballroom, 1103 Spring St., Paso Robles
• See’s Candies, 2307 Theatre Dr. Ste 300, Paso Robles
• Sonic Drive In Store #6961, 4500 San Palo Road, Atascadero
  
  
• Star Mso Inc. 68584, 1244 24th St., Paso Robles
• Street Side Ale House, 6155 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Sunrise Cafe, 1413 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles
• Templeton Donuts Plus, 70 Main St., Templeton
• The Alchemists Garden, 1144 Pine St., Paso Robles
• The Oaks Hotel Paso Robles, 3000 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles
• Venteux Vineyards, 1795 Las Tablas Road, Templeton
  
  
• Yes Cocktail Company, 2915 Union Road, Suite A, Paso Robles

This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 10:00 AM.