German cockroaches, rodents shut down 2 SLO restaurants. See inspection results

Two restaurants were closed for vermin problems in March while many others struggled with temperature control.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found 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 284 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in March.

2 SLO restaurants temporarily shut down by health department

Two San Luis Obispo restaurants were temporarily ordered to close in March after health inspectors found dangerous conditions at their facilities.

What started as a change of ownership inspection resulted in Chilie Peppers SLO at 2121 Broad St. having to close March 19 after an inspector found cockroaches and rodent activity at the business.

According to notes, the inspector observed “several live German cockroaches in various stages of their life cycle” and evidence of rodent activity throughout the facility. That included “evidence of droppings and strong urine smell in multiple critical areas.”

The restaurant was ordered to eliminate all evidence of vermin, clean and sanitize all affected areas and remove points of entry and sources of food and water. It was also told it would have to provide an invoice from a professional pest management company for review.

The troubles did not stop there, however.

The restaurant was also told a least one employee must obtain a food manager safety certification and all other employees get their food handler safety certifications within 60 days.

Meanwhile, Sushiya at 11560 Los Osos Valley Road was ordered to close March 27 after an inspector observed evidence of rodent activity throughout the facility.

That included chew holes in bags of rice, “rice grains on a shelf at the bar with rodent droppings” and rodent hair and droppings on clean table ware, utensils and prep surfaces.

The restaurant was ordered to close until it had removed all evidence of vermin, sanitized the premises and remove points of entry and food and water sources for rodents.

It was also told to contact a professional pest service.

Sushiya was allowed to reopen the next day after a reinspection showed “limited evidence of rodent activity.”

Lowest-rated restaurants

Alex Bar-B-Q, 790 Price St., Pismo Beach

Points lost: 22

Notes: The Pismo Beach barbecue joint was tied for the lowest score of the month during March’s health inspections, largely due to confusion surrounding hand-washing and cooling practices. According to the inspection notes, employees were “not properly washing hands” and both the facility’s hand-washing sinks were blocked at the time of the inspection. The inspector also observed no paper towels at either of the hand sinks in the kitchen or bar. The inspector also observed “several types of cut produce on ice” at the bar that were being kept at a too-warm temperature. The restaurant was told to ensure potentially hazardous foods are maintained at or below 41 degrees. The restaurant also had no sanitizer solution set up in the kitchen during active food preparation, according to inspection notes. Because of the violations found, the restaurant was ordered to be reinspected and all issues resolved or potentially face reinspection fees.

Chicho’s, 11560 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo

Points lost: 22

Notes: Chicho’s in San Luis Obispo was the also tied for the lowest-scoring of local restaurants during its most recent inspection, though its issues predominately surrounded temperature control. The inspector measured refrigerated salsa, mole sauce, sour cream, fish and a pot of beans at temperatures above what is allowed, as well as frozen food thawing in a sink without an approved thawing method. The inspector also observed large containers of raw pork being kept over a sealed container of ready-to-eat cheese and a large stock pot of beans, an employee washing dishes without a sanitizing step and several wet cloth towels being kept on prep surfaces, according to inspection notes. The latter was a repeat violation.

Aliyah’s Kitchen Seafood and Grill, 1344 Park St., Paso Robles

Points lost: 20

Notes: Aliyah’s Kitchen Seafood and Grill lost points during its March inspection mainly for repeat violations. These included not using enough sanitizer, untagged oysters and a “large accumulation of empty bottles and extra equipment in the back of the facility.” The restaurant was ordered to ensure the equipment in the back storage area was in good repair or discard it. An inspector also observed a container of cooked pork left to cool on the counter and a “small beetle-like insect in the corn flour in bulk storage.” That flour was voluntarily discarded, according to inspection notes.

Aliyah’s Kitchen, 575 S. Main St., Templeton

Points lost: 18.5

Notes: During its March inspection, the Templeton restaurant was told to stop using latex gloves and to stop storing potentially hazardous foods on the counter without temperature control. It was also told to stop thawing raw seafood in standing water and to ensure employees obtained food handler safety certification.

El Rinconcito, 2307 Theatre Drive, Paso Robles

Points lost: 18.5

Notes: Like many other restaurants inspected in March, El Rinconcito struggled with temperature control. According to inspection notes, the restaurant was told to ensure employees were educated in “proper thawing, cold holding and sanitizing” after an inspector observed a food prep top unit was measuring at 50 degrees — well above the 41-degree maximum. The restaurant was also told to stop improperly cooling potentially hazardous foods, like allowing frozen meats to thaw on the counter at room temperature.

Nipomo High School Booster Club Concessions, 525 N. Thompson, Ave., Nipomo

Points lost: 17

Notes: Though the Nipomo High School concession stand was not in operation when it was inspected in March, a number of major violations were observed. Those included condiments in the fridge with mold growing on the outside of the bottles, grime on the ice chute and a “few dead cockroaches behind water heater.” According to inspection notes, only dead, adult cockroaches were found — no other stages of life. The facility also had an accumulation of grime underneath the equipment that an inspector said needed to be cleaned as part of a “deep cleaning schedule.” The inspector did note, however, that the facility had made improvements since its last inspection.

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

• Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ, 1125 24th St., Paso Robles

• Templeton Mercantile, 508 Main St., Templeton

• S’aranella, 835 12th St., Suite A, Paso Robles

• Outlaw’s, 9850 E. Front Road, Atascadero

• Gill’s Food Mart, 1490 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande

• Hampton Inn & Suites, 1400 W. Branch St., Arroyo Grande

• Cowgirl Cafe, 1055 Olive St., San Luis Obispo

• Beso, 1050 Willow Road, Nipomo

• Nipomo Sushi, 539 W. Tefft St., Nipomo

Highest-rated restaurants

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

San Luis Obispo

• Bob Cantu’s Pizza and Sports Bar, 1131 Broad St.
• Cafe Roma, 1020 Railroad Ave.
• Carl’s Jr, 3980 Broad St.
• Central Coast Wines, 712 Higuera St.
• Crossroads Liquor & Deli, 3211 Broad St. Ste 101
• Gold Land BBQ, 570 Higuera St. Ste 135
• Healing Harvest, 4211 Broad St.
• La Cuesta Inn, 2074 Monterey St.
• Laguna Lake Shell, 11590 Los Osos Valley Road
• Luna Red, 1023 Chorro St.
• The Mark, 673 Higuera St.
• Mission Station, 328 Marsh St.
• Nano’s Coffee, 790 Foothill Blvd.
• Nick the Greek, 733 Higuera St.
• Pardon My French Bakery, 871 Froom Ranch Way Ste 130
• Ross Dress for Less #2094, 273 Madonna Road
• San Luis Obispo Golf & Country Club Inc., 255 Country Club Drive
• Sidecar, 1040 Broad St.
• Starbucks Coffee #6731, 3970 Broad St. Ste #1
• Subway #100, 3240 Broad St.
• Subway, 158 Higuera St. Ste D
• Sueno Alegre, 4211 Broad St.
• The Carissa, 736 Higuera St.
• The Habit Burger Grill, 839 Higuera St.
• The Mercantile, 950 Chorro St.
• Vineshift Inc DBA Region, 858 Monterey St.

North Coast

• Grassy Bar Oyster Company Inc., 1215 Embarcadero Unit D, Morro Bay
• Legends at the Circle Inn, 899 Main St., Morro Bay
• McDonald’s #15090, 780 Quintana Road, Morro Bay
• Morro Bay House of Jerky, 1130 Front St., Morro Bay

South County

• Aldi #174, 1221 E Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande
• Blaze Pizza, 1150 W Branch St., Arroyo Grande
• Cottage Inn by the Sea, 2351 Price St., Pismo Beach
• Kon Tiki Inn, 1621 Price St., Pismo Beach
• Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, 1229 E Grand Ave. Ste 103, Arroyo Grande
• Mule Bakery, 117 E Branch St., Arroyo Grande
• Old West Cinnamon Rolls, 861 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach
• Sweet Pea Bakery LLC, 1200 E Grand Ave. Unit 102, Arroyo Grande
• Tribe Coffee House, 1355 E Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande
• Urbane Cafe, 924 Rancho Parkway, Arroyo Grande

North County

• 1889 Restaurant, 22412 El Camino Real, Santa Margarita
• Amstrdm, 725 13th St., Paso Robles
• Barney Schwartz Park #1, 2970 Union Road, Paso Robles
• Barney Schwartz Park #2, 2970 Union Road, Paso Robles
• Carrisa Plains Elementary, 9640 Carrisa Highway, Santa Margarita
• Central Coast Creamery, 3075 Limestone Way, Paso Robles
• Central Coast Cuisine, 4805 Traffic Way, Suite 2, Atascadero
• Della’s, 831 13th St., Paso Robles
• Dutch Bros Coffee, 8304 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Grey Wolf Vineyard & Cellars, 2174 Highway 46 W, Paso Robles
• Jack in the Box #5418, 9000 W Front Road, Atascadero
• Just Baked, 725 12th St., Paso Robles
• Leo’s Cafe, 249 10th St., San Miguel
• McDonald’s #4408, 6300 Morro Road, Atascadero
• Parrish Family Winery, 3590 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles
• Pioneer Food Mart, 1145 Spring St., Paso Robles
• Rite Aid #5831, 1151 Creston Road, Paso Robles
• Santa Margarita Elementary School, 22070 H St., Santa Margarita
• Sunrise Cafe, 1413 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles
• Tablas Creek Vineyard, 9339 Adelaida Rd, Paso Robles
• Tarek Zakaria DBA Pizza Express, 8220 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Templeton Pizza, 98 S Main St. #C, Templeton
• The Hatch, 835 13th St., Paso Robles

This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 10:46 AM.