Poor hand-washing, food debris and other violations at SLO County restaurants

One restaurant had an employee with an open drinking cup, some had food debris and several had issues with employees not properly washing their hands.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in March 2026 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 0-point scale and make deductions based on the severity of the violations they find. Negative scores represent businesses with violations, while a restaurant with a score of 0 received a perfect score.

This is a change from the agency’s previous scoring system, which ranked eateries on a 100-point scale.

To check out the safety and cleanliness of your favorite restaurants around the county, visit 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 March 2026.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Umi Sushi and Sake, 630 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

Points lost: 84

Notes: Umi Sushi and Sake in Morro Bay was one of several restaurants ordered to be reinspected in March after their initial inspection revealed several significant violations. According to inspection notes, an employee was drinking from an open cup at the hot line and then set that cup on a cutting board while actively prepping food. The inspector also observed two separate employees rinse their hands without using soap when changing tasks and an employee dry his hands with a wet wiping cloth that was stored on a prep surface. Meanwhile, the restaurant had some issues with correct food temperature, with the inspector noting that cooked edamame and serrano chilis were not being kept in a cooler as they should, and cooked chicken, cooked eggs, raw salmon and raw pork in coolers were all too warm. Food in the sushi bar display coolers were also measuring too warm, while cooked shrimp was not being kept at a high enough temperature at the sushi bar for hours. The food was all discarded into the trash on site. Other violations included a submerged bowl being used as a scoop for mayo and mirin sauce, an employee washing a pan in the hand sink without a sanitizing step, food stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler, an issue with an exhaust hood canopy and tuna being improperly thawed in a prep sink.

When the restaurant was reinspected on March 25, all of the above violations had been corrected, though the inspector noted that a rice cooker “in bad repair” was in active use. The restaurant was told to discard the rice cooker.

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

Points lost: 50

Notes: During its routine inspection in March, Blast & Brew in Paso Robles lost points for several minor violations. According to inspection notes, an inspector observed a cup with no lid in the prep area, garlic butter left out on the counter, no sanitizer solution set up during active food preparation, a bag of onions on the floor under the prep table and soiled wiping cloths sitting on prep areas. The inspector also noted there was food debris on a slicer and “excess food debris” on the refrigeration gaskets on the cookline. Meanwhile, an employee was seen putting on gloves without first washing their hands, the inspection report said.

Jose’s Country Kitchen, 81 Wellsona Road, Paso Robles

Points lost: 47

Notes: In its routine inspection in March, Jose’s Country Kitchen was found to have multiple minor violations spanning from improper hand-washing to not displaying the proper safety notices on site. According to inspection notes, staff were seen donning gloves without washing their hands first, and the paper towel dispenser at the hand wash station was empty. The restaurant also had “garlic butter and several other items on the counter not properly stored on ice” and sanitizer buckets without the correct chlorine solution, the report said. Notably, it was also dinged for serving raw or undercooked food without the required consumer advisory provided and not having its latest health inspection report available on site.

Luca’s Deli and Wine, 134 W. Branch St., Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 42

Notes: Significant violations were found during the March inspection of Luca’s Deli and Wine in Arroyo Grande, so the restaurant was ordered to be reinspected. According to inspection notes, an open container of marinade and a utensil were being kept in ice in the hand wash sink, while the food preparation sink was filled with “cardboard boxes, (a) bag of lemons and other miscellaneous items while being used for raw chicken preparation.” A gallon of milk was also being stored inside the ice machine that produces ice for drinks, cardboard was being used to line the bottom of the refrigerator, utensils were kept in stagnant water, a piece of meat was in a non-food-grade white plastic bag, and the front doors were propped open, the inspection report said.

Poke Morro, 121 W. Branch St., Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 40

Notes: Poke Morro lost points during its inspection in March due to several significant violations, ranging from improperly thawing frozen fish to food debris on and underneath equipment at the facility. It also lost points for not having a self-closing mechanism on the bathroom door, not having a copy of its most recent health inspection report and not having a properly certified food manager on site. The inspector was also unable to verify food handler cards for other employees, according to the inspection report.

These businesses also lost 30 or more points due to violations.

• Fruit Paradise Mexican Style, 580 California Blvd., San Luis Obispo
• Tiger Tea House, 157 Niblick Road, Paso Robles
• Ramen @ 805, 807 13th St., Paso Robles
• California Fresh Market, 771 E. Foothill Blvd., San Luis Obispo
• La Parrilla Taqueria, 7109 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• The Neighborhood Cafe and Juice Bar, 811 13th St., Paso Robles

Highest-rated restaurants

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

San Luis Obispo

• 805 Coastal Kitchen, 647 Higuera St.
• Banchan Foods, 3563 Sueldo St., Suite H
• Bob Cantu’s Pizza And Sports Bar, 1131 Broad St.
• Breadin’ Bros, 3563 Sueldo St., Suite H
• Brick and Mortar Catering Company, 3563 Sueldo St., Suite H
• Carnales Street Tacos, 3563 Sueldo St., Suite H
• Central Coast Wines, 712 Higuera
• Coastline Catering, 3000 Broad St., Suite 111
• Five Guys Burgers And Fries, 763 E Foothill Blvd.
• Gemlato, 1028 Chorro St.
• Harvestly, 207 Suburban Road, #4
• Inn At San Luis Obispo, 1895 Monterey St.
• Kiko Restaurant, 746 Higuera St., Suites 4 & 6
• Koberl At Blue, 998 Monterey St.
• Le Ciel Crepe Cafe, 3211 Broad St., Suite 121
• Nibble Foods LLC, 3563 Sueldo St., Suite H
• Nobu Hawaiian BBQ, 1308 Monterey St., Suite 110
• Petra Mediterranean Grill, 134 Tank Farm Road
• SLO Sweets, 1020 Court St.
• Shakedown Seasoning, 3563 Sueldo St., Suite H
• The Gardens Of Avila, 1215 Avila Beach Drive
• The Habit Burger Grill, 839 Higuera St.
• Twenty South, 3845 S Higuera St., Suite 114
• Wren Foods, 1901 Broad St.

North Coast

• Camp Ocean Pines, 1473 Randall Drive, Cambria
• Masterpiece Hotel, 1206 Main St., Morro Bay
• San Miguel Market & Deli #2, 2060 9th St., Suite D, Los Osos
• Wild Ginger, 2380 Main St., G, Cambria

South County

• Avila Bay Athletic Club, 6699 Bay Laurel Drive, Avila Beach
• Avila Hot Springs, 250 Avila Beach Drive, San Luis Obispo
• Beachcomber/dba Sea Venture, 100 Ocean Ave., Pismo Beach
• Dolphin Bay Resort, 2727 Shell Beach Road, Pismo Beach
• Gina’s Piece Of Cake, 1231 E Grand Ave., Suite 101, Arroyo Grande
• Panda Express #932, 1401 E Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande
• Shuck Shack Natural Wine Bar, 480 Front St., Avila Beach
• Sinor-lavallee, 550 First St., Avila Beach
• Vespera on Ocean, 147 Stimson Ave., Pismo Beach

North County

• AJ’s Place Restaurant, 7600 El Camino Real, Suite 5, Atascadero
• Alba Provisions & Flowers, 3850 Ramada Drive, #D7, Paso Robles
• Arroyo’s Grill, 7905 Morro Road, Atascadero
• Bianchi Winery, 3380 Branch Road, Paso Robles
• Cambria Hotel - Templeton, 1000 Las Tablas Road, Templeton
• Cahoots Catering Company, 1945 Estrella Circle, San Miguel
• Cairo Cravings, 1401 Park St., Suite 1, Paso Robles
• Casa Simply Set, 104 Niblick Road, Paso Robles
• Central Coast Distillery, 1875 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Coastal Pit Stop Inc, 1860 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Emercy Winery, 3775 Ruth, Suite A, Paso Robles
• Gather Natural Market, 4825 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Hampton Inn & Suites, 212 Alexa Court, Paso Robles
• Motel 6 Atascadero, 9400 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Mr. C’s Catering & Kitchen Rentals, 8550 El Camino Real, #C, Atascadero
• Nectar & Nobel, 6005 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• On The Park Salon & Suites, 819 12th St., Paso Robles
• Oxford Suites, 800 4th St., Paso Robles
• Pacheco Management CA LLC, 823 13th St., Paso Robles
• AM/PM, 1900 Ramada Drive, Paso Robles
• Route 101 Mexican Grill, 7377 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Savage Spirits & Deli, 2050 Spring St. A, Paso Robles
• Vines R.V. Resort, 88 Wellsona, Paso Robles
• Wingstop Restaurant, 2425 Golden Hill Road, Suite 104, Paso Robles

Kaytlyn Leslie

The Tribune

805-781-7928 (voicemails only)

Kaytlyn Leslie writes about business and development for The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Hailing from Nipomo, she also covers city governments and happenings in San Luis Obispo. She joined The Tribune in 2013 after graduating from Cal Poly with her journalism degree.