Old mouse droppings, grimy kitchens: See the latest SLO County restaurant inspections

Kaytlyn Leslie
·6 min read

One restaurant had old mouse droppings, two had workers eating in the kitchen and several had employees without the proper food safety training.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in September 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 106 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in September.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Tomasko’s Salt Water Taffy, 630 Cypress St., Pismo Beach

Points lost: 14.5

Notes: During a routine inspection of the Pismo Beach candy shop, Tomasko’s Salt Water Taffy lost points for a number of health violations, largely centered around employee behaviors. The inspector observed an employee eating ice cream in the kitchen while chocolates and candies were being prepared. According to inspection notes, the employee was told to not eat in the kitchen “but continued doing so anyway.” The inspector also saw the employee eating ice cream put their spoon down on a knife that was being used to cut chocolates. Other violations included an open box of ice cream cones being kept under a soap dispenser near the hand sink, not having paper towels in the restroom and no food manager certificate available for verification during the inspection.

Burrito Loco, 2808 S. Halcyon Road, Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 13.5

Notes: Burrito Loco in Arroyo Grande lost five points during its routine inspection because “employees lack knowledge of food safety practices such as proper sanitation of dishes, proper concentration of sanitizer solutions and proper cold holding temperatures.” The restaurant was ordered to “immediately re-train employees on food safety practices.” It also lost points because of a too-warm prep-top unit, mildew in the ice machine and a few flies in the facility because the front door and the drive-through window were kept open. The restaurant was ordered to fix its violations ahead of a reinspection or potentially have to pay a fee.

Taqueria Jalisco, 1912 Creston Road, Paso Robles

Points lost: 13

Notes: Taqueria Jalisco lost several points during its routine inspection in September for employee behaviors, including eating in food prep areas and keeping personal items in food prep and food storage locations. The restaurant was told to stop thawing raw meats and fish on the counter and to remove open baskets of tortilla chips from the customer waiting area to prevent cross contamination. It also lost points for flies observed in the food prep areas.

Old Village Grill, 101 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 13

Notes: Old Village Grill was one of two restaurants ordered to be reinspected at a future date due to the violations found. According to inspection notes, the manager on duty during the inspection “did not demonstrate any knowledge of proper cold or hot holding temperatures, sanitizer concentration levels, etc.” When asked, the manager informed the inspector the owner had an expired food manager certification, but no other employees had food handler certifications. The restaurant was ordered to ensure all employees had the proper certifications. Meanwhile, the inspector observed build-up and grime throughout the facility and ordered the restaurant to thoroughly clean and maintain the floors, walls and ceilings.

Huckleberry’s, 300 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach

Points lost: 12.5

Notes: During the Pismo Beach restaurant’s inspection, an inspector observed “evidence of a past rodent issue” including old mice droppings and sticky traps. The inspector noted there was no evidence of an active infestation, however. The restaurant was told to ensure all droppings were removed and those areas cleaned and sanitized. Meanwhile, the restaurant did have some flies in the kitchen and the inspector noted the facility was in need of a “deep cleaning.” The restaurant also lost points for a blocked hand-washing sink, a bowl being used as a scoop in flour for breading and an employee cell phone left on a food prep table.

La Costa Grill, 168 Station Way, Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 12

Notes: La Costa Grill had a number of repeat violations during its inspection in September, including an open salsa bar without sneeze guards and the back door being kept open to the kitchen. An inspector also observed the restaurant’s hot-holding unit was slightly too cool and not holding foods at 135 degrees or higher. The restaurant was ordered to ensure at least one employee has a food manager certificate, and all other employees have valid food handler certificates.

Highest-rated restaurants

These stores and restaurants received scores of 99 to 100, with few to no violations.

San Luis Obispo

  • Central Park and Bites, 1039 Chorro St. (change of ownership inspection)

  • Hampton Inn & Suites, 1530 Calle Joaquin

  • The Mayan Ice Cream, 3220 Broad St.

North Coast

  • Avocado Shack, 2190 Main St., Morro Bay

  • Camp One, LLC, 1215 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

  • Crill’s Salt Water Taffy, 1247 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

  • Family Dollar #32468, 470 Quintana Road, Morro Bay

  • Gaia’s Garden, 875 Main St., Morro Bay

  • La Serena Inn, 990 Morro Ave., Morro Bay

  • Lucky 7 Mini Mart & Gas, Inc., 1860 Main St., Morro Bay

  • Masterpiece Hotel, 1206 Main St., Morro Bay

  • McDonald’s #15090, 780 Quintana Road, Morro Bay

  • Morro Bay Chevron, 1798 Main St., Morro Bay

  • Morro Bay House of Jerky, 1130 Front St., Morro Bay

South County

  • Arroyo Grande Sinclair, 222 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande

  • Fin’s Restaurant, 25 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

  • The Scoop Ice Cream Parlor, 607 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach

  • Tasty Thai, 161 Traffic Way, Arroyo Grande

North County

  • Amstrdm, 725 13th St., Paso Robles

  • Castoro Cellars, 1315 N. Bethel Road, Templeton

  • Golden Grill, 1600 Country Club, Paso Robles

  • Grocery Outlet, 2100 El Camino Real, Atascadero (change of ownership inspection)

  • Dollar General Store 317422, 972 K St., San Miguel

  • Just Baked, 725 12th St., Paso Robles

  • Kelleco To Go, 1255 Las Tablas Road, Templeton

  • Momotaro Ramen, 1803 Spring St., Paso Robles

  • Templeton Market and Deli, 390 Main St., Templeton

  • TJ Maxx 1282, 2453 Golden Hill Road, Paso Robles

  • Vineyard Hills Health Center, 290 Heather Court, Templeton

  • Vin 13 Wine Bar of Paso Robles, 1244 Pine St., Paso Robles