‘Evidence of rodents’ shuts down SLO County breakfast spot. See latest restaurant inspections

One restaurant had warm sushi, several had issues using sanitizer and one even had to close to remove evidence of rodents.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in January during dozens 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 264 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in January.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Haha Ramen & Sushi, 1065 Olive St., San Luis Obispo

Points lost: 30.5

Notes: The San Luis Obispo sushi and ramen restaurant lost the most points during its January inspection of any other establishment reviewed — with most of the violations related to safe handling of potentially hazardous foods. According to the inspection notes, “no employee in the facility was able to demonstrate knowledge of proper warewashing procedure,” with one employee observed washing dishes without sanitizer. An employee was also seen dipping shrimp into tempura batter, putting it into the deep fryer and then rinsing her hands in a nearby container of water that also held a pair of tongs, the inspector noted.

Meanwhile, several food items were recorded at temperatures above the mandated 41 degree maximum, the inspection notes said, with fish in the cooler recorded at 44 degrees, crab meat in an ice bath on the prep table at 47 degrees and sushi rice in a bowl without temperature control at 65 degrees.

The inspector also observed “a square stick with bottle caps screwed into it hanging from a string” in one of the sinks that employees said was used for scaling fish, a dirty cordless drill with a mixer attachment stored in the food prep area, several inoperable pieces of equipment throughout the facility and rodent droppings on top of buckets of bulk sauces in the dry storage area.

The inspector also found a mattress, blanket and pillow on a shelf in the office which the restaurant was ordered to discard. It was also ordered to perform “a deep clean” of the entire facility.

La Parrilla, 709 6th St., Paso Robles

Points lost: 23

Notes: La Parrilla in Paso Robles lost the majority of its points during the routine January inspection due to repeat violations. Those included not having a pump soap dispenser installed a the hand wash sink, not having a Food Manager’s Certificate available on site, employees without Food Handler cards and the restaurant’s last health permit not being posted in a conspicuous location. Other violations included improperly cooling and thawing potentially hazardous foods and not properly using sanitizer.

Milk T Society, 773 E. Foothill Blvd., San Luis Obispo

Points lost: 20

Notes: Milk T Society in San Luis Obispo had issues with temperature control during its routine January inspection.

According to notes, an inspector measured boba at 94 degrees after being held for more than four hours, despite regulations requiring potentially hazardous foods be kept at 41 degrees or below or at 135 degrees or above. The boba spot’s hot water was also measuring at 111 degrees — slightly below the requirement of 120 degrees.

The inspector also observed an employee washing dishes without a sanitizing step and a wet towel kept on the drain board of the three-compartment sink.

IHOP, 212 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo

Points lost: 18.5

Notes: During its inspection in January, rodent activity was observed in “multiple critical areas” of the pancake chain’s San Luis Obispo location, including beneath the pre-rinse sink in the scullery and in the storage cabinet at the server’s station. The restaurant voluntarily closed to remedy the situation ahead of a reinspection, taking the time to clean and sanitize all impacted areas, eliminate entry points and “areas of harborage,” eliminate sources of food like grease and grime buildup on the hot line and eliminate sources of water such as an accumulation of water at the scullery and the broken ice machine.

An inspector also saw an employee cook raw fish on a grill and fill a bowl with ready-to-eat French fries without washing their hands and let sausage and cooked hashed browns cool on a plate for an hour. The inspector found a container of waffle batter that was labeled to be discarded two days prior to the inspection.

Papis Tacos y Gorditas LLC, 1401 Park St., Paso Robles

Points lost: 17.5

Notes: Papis in Paso Robles lost points during its routine January inspection after an inspector saw an employee eating on the cook line at the start of the inspection. The restaurant also had a refrigeration unit that clocked in at 53 degrees, though employees said the tortillas, whole produce and eggs in that unit were for personal use only. Meanwhile, the inspector observed a bag of onions on the floor in the storage area, no sanitizer solution set up during food prep, sponges in the sink and a broken refrigerator being used for storage.

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

• Villa Cantina, 106 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande

• Oasis Restaurant, 1351 Price St., Pismo Beach

• Golden Moon, 1165 Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande

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

• Blast & Brew, 803 13th St., Paso Robles

• Raku Ramen, 799 Foothill Blvd., San Luis Obispo

• Umi Sushi and Sake, 630 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

• California Fresh Market, 771 E. Foothill Blvd., San Luis Obispo

• Paso’s Pizza Kitchen East, 1467 Creston Road, Paso Robles

• Tortilla Town, 1145 24th St. #B, Paso Robles

• Round Table Pizza, 1600 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

• Blue Sky Bistro, 699 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

• Super Carniceria La Chiquita, 170 S. Thompson Ave., Nipomo

• Monarch Club, 1645 Trilogy Parkway, Nipomo

• Pizza Express, 1914 Creston Road, Paso Robles

• Cypress Ridge Golf Course, 780 Cypress Ridge Parkway, Arroyo Grande

• Villa Del Mar, 1100 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

• Blacklake Golf Resort, 1490 Golf Course Lane, Nipomo

Highest-rated restaurants

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

San Luis Obispo

• Barnes & Noble Booksellers Inc, 894 Marsh St.
• Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane
• Brick and Mortar Catering/SLO Budget Catering, 3563 Sueldo St. Ste H
• Burrito Wagon Commissary, 285 Prado Road #C
• Carnales Street Tacos, 3563 Sueldo St. Ste H
• Costco Wholesale #741, 1540 Froom Ranch Way
• Costco Avenue C Micro-Market, 1540 Froom Ranch Road
• Coya, 851 Higuera St.
• Danior Enterprises, 4211 Broad St.
• Deltina Coffee Roasters, 1340 Taft St. Ste #124
• Fremont Theater Snack Bar, 1035 Monterey St.
• Garden Street Inn, 1212 Garden St.
• Healing Harvest, 4211 Broad St.
• High Street Market & Deli, 350 High St.
• Jamba Juice #12, 890 Marsh St.
• JoeBella Coffee SLO, 311 Higuera St.
• Kikka Sushi @ Whole Foods San Luis Obispo, 1531 Froom Ranch Way
• Las Brisas, 1299 Briarwood Drive
• LXV Wine Live Area LLC, 1306 Pine St. Ste B
• Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates, 1445 Monterey St.
• McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, 868 Monterey St.
• Mission View Health Center, 1425 Woodside Drive
• Monika’s Macarons, 17 Chorro Ste A
• My Thai Restaurant, 1815 Osos St.
• Nucci’s Pizza, 3165 Broad St. 106
• Rad Juice, LLC 3563 Sueldo St. Ste H
• Real Fuel 805, 4750 Allene Way
• San Luis Post Acute Center, 3033 Augusta St.
• Sasquatch Coffee House, 1050 Monterey St. Ste 228
• Senior Nutrition Program of SLO, 2180 Johnson Ave.
• Sheila Kearns Chocolate & Confections, 153 Cross St. #100
• Spice of Life, 1306 Pine St. C2
• Starbucks, 2138 Broad St.
• Starbucks Coffee #14426, 3971 S Higuera St.
• Sweetie Cup Tea House, 1118 Chorro St.
• The Kitchen Terminal SLO, 4750 Allene Way
• Workingman’s Bread LLC, 977 E Foothill Blvd. Ste 109

North Coast

• Cambria Cafe, 2282 Main St., Cambria
• Fog Catcher Inn, 6400 Moonstone Beach Drive, Cambria
• Harmony Cellars, 3255 Harmony Valley Road, Harmony
• Mi Casa, 2848 Main St., Morro Bay
• Morro Bay Spice Company, 911 Main St., Morro Bay
• Pelican Inn & Suites, 6316 Moonstone Beach Drive, Cambria
• Rhapsody in View Boutique Hotel, 2790 Main St., Morro Bay
• Sweet Reef, 630 Embarcadero, Morro Bay
• The Sweet Reef, 845 Embarcadero Ste I & J, Morro Bay
• Morro Creek Ranch, 1800 Atascadero Road, Morro Bay
• Round Table Pizza, 610 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
• Babydudes, 307 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay

South County

• 220 Hinds Ave Cafe & Boba Tea, 580 Cypress St. Ste N-1A, Pismo Beach

• Best Western Casa Grande Inn, 850 Oak Park Blvd., Arroyo Grande
• Breezway Cafe, 230 Pomeroy Ave., Pismo Beach
• Chacho’s Mexican Food, 1911 Cienaga St., Oceano
• Deltina Coffee Roasters, 1945 Front St., Oceano
• Earth and Oven, 404 Front St., Avila Beach

• The Gardens of Avila, 1215 Avila Beach Drive

• Hula Hut, 380 Front St., Avila Beach
• Mercado y Carniceria La Mia, 515 Orchard Road, Nipomo
• Perfetto Cafe, 1750 El Camino Real, Grover Beach
• Price Street Market, 1100 Price St., Pismo Beach

• Rite Aid #5833, 531 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach

• Sam’s Market, 200 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach
• Subway #43981, 575 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach

North County

• Atascadero Gas & Mart, 6280 Morro Road, Atascadero
• Bovino Vineyards, 5685 El Pomar Drive, Templeton
• Chipotle Mexican Grill #2260, 98 Niblick Road, Paso Robles
• Club House at Chalk Mountain, 10000 El Bordo Ave., Atascadero
• Jack in the Box #5414, 2500 Golden Hill Road, Paso Robles
• La Bellasera Hotel and Suites, 206 Alexa Court, Paso Robles
• McDonald’s #17328, 186 Niblick Road, Paso Robles
• Paso Robles Swim & Tennis Club, 2975 Union Road, Paso Robles
• Starbucks Coffee #8909, 1205 24th St., Paso Robles
• Taco Bell Restaurant, 1920 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• The Full Belly Deli, 1718 Commerce Way, Paso Robles
• Veterans Memorial Building, 240 Scott St., Paso Robles
• Vivant Fine Cheese, 821 Pine St. Ste B, Paso Robles
• Wingstop Restaurant, 2425 Golden Hill Road Ste 104, Paso Robles