Pot of meat on the floor and shrimp in the sink: See latest SLO County restaurant inspections

Kaytlyn Leslie
·6 min read

One restaurant was dumping wastewater down shower drains, another had a “very expired” food manager safety card and several didn’t have hot water.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in May 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 180 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in May.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Mustang Waterpark, 6840 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande

Points lost: 14

Notes: Ahead of its planned reopening for the summer, a number of health code violations were observed in May at Mustang Waterpark near Lopez Lake. According to inspection notes, the facilitiy’s food-prep areas didn’t have “sufficient, conveniently located hand-wash sinks” — something the water park has been dinged on in the past. It also didn’t have hot water at its hand-washing sink, and didn’t have a working janitorial sink. That meant employees were dumping wastewater down shower drains near the food area, according to the inspection notes. The water park was also ordered to “thoroughly clean and maintain all floors, walls and ceilings.” Ultimately the water park lost seven points for repeat violations and was told the Environmental Health Services Department would be in contact “to discuss future changes required to bring food facility up to current code requirements.”

Sushi 805, 460 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Points lost: 13.5

Notes: The Grover Beach sushi restaurant had a number of repeat violations during its routine inspection in May, including one the health inspector noted was its final warning. According to inspection notes, the restaurant has been repeatedly told employees needed to log the pH of its sushi rice each time it is made, but they have failed to do so. The inspector noted this was a “last warning” for the repeat violation. The inspector also wrote the floors, walls and ceiling of the restaurant were in need of cleaning, wiping cloths needed to be stored in sanitation buckets and the back door had to be kept closed to prevent vermin from entering the kitchen. Old food debris and grime were also observed on the food prep sink.

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

Points lost: 13

Notes: An inspector observed three packages of meat sitting out on the counter and not refrigerated at the Paso Robles restaurant in May, according to inspection notes. The restaurant was also not properly tagging shellfish containers and didn’t have the right amount of chlorine solution in its sanitizing buckets. The inspector also observed some broken equipment throughout the entire facility, including a leaking sink, lights out in dry storage and above the walk-in fridge, and missing hood filters. The hot water was also turned off at the hand-sink at the time of the inspection, according to the inspector.

Tacos de Acapulco No. 3, 1051 S. 13th St., Grover Beach

Points lost: 12

Notes: The Grover Beach restaurant lost a number of points for violations related to its sinks. According to inspection notes, the inspector saw a container of raw shrimp and food debris in the hand-wash sink in the kitchen and also saw dish and food debris inside the sink behind the front counter. The restaurant also didn’t have paper towels available at the front hand-washing sink. “Use of gloves does not replace hand washing,” the inspector wrote. Several containers were also seen without lids in the fridge, there was “heavy grease and dust accumulation” on the rack where dishes were stored and a pot full of raw meat that was about to be cooked was being kept on the floor, according to inspection notes. The manager on duty also had a “very expired” food manager safety card — a repeat violation.

Fay’s Fusion, 580 Cypress St., Pismo Beach

Points lost: 11.5

Notes: Fay’s Fusion in Pismo Beach was the only local restaurant ordered to be reinspected following its initial inspection in May. The reinspection was ordered after an inspector observed the hand-washing sink was turned off at the facility, and workers appeared to be using the food prep sink to wash their hands. Dishes were also being kept in the front hand-washing sink behind the register, according to inspection notes. These violations were ordered to be fixed before a reinspection in June, or the restaurant could face fees. There was also noted grease buildup on equipment throughout the restaurant.

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

  • Central Market, 2061 Cienega St., Oceano

  • Los Berros Market and Deli, 2021 Los Berros Road, Arroyo Grande

  • Blast & Brew, 2131 Price St., Pismo Beach

  • Munchiez 805, 2796 S. Halcyon, Arroyo Grande

  • Old Juan’s Cantina, 649 Pier Ave., Oceano

Highest-rated restaurants

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

San Luis Obispo

  • Camp San Luis Obispo, Highway 1, Building 854

  • Chevron #1976, 151 N. Santa Rosa St.

  • Garden Street Inn, 1212 Garden St. (change of ownership inspection)

  • Lokum Turkish Delights & Baklava, 715 Higuera St.

  • Moe’s Mediterranean, 1035 Chorro St. (change of ownership inspection)

  • Quesadilla Gorilla, 570 Higuera St.

  • Round Table Pizza, 2256 Broad St.

  • The Secret Garden, 740 Higuera St.

  • Unocal Fastbreak 76, 2015 Broad St.

  • Vineshift Inc., doing business as Region, 858 Monterey St. (change of ownership inspection)

North Coast

  • Coastal Taproom, 821 Cornwall St., Cambria

  • McDonald’s #15090, 780 Quintana Road, Morro Bay (change of ownership inspection)

  • Mindful Meals LLC, 1365 Second St., Los Osos

South County

  • Avila Beach Market, 354 Front St., Avila Beach (change of ownership inspection)

  • McDonald’s #14896, 1550 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach (change of ownership inspection)

North County

  • Burritos Express, 1495 Creston Road, Paso Robles (change of ownership inspection)

  • Grey Wolf Vineyard and Cellar, 2174 Highway 46, Paso Robles

  • Nutrition 101, 8240 El Camino Real, Atascadero (change of ownership inspection)

  • The Dough Connection, 1075 Court St., Atascadero (change of ownership inspection)

  • The Ranch Hand, 1346 Raiload St., Paso Robles