1 St. Johns County restaurant gets perfect score; 7 fail inspection

Staff reports
·7 min read

You can use the database to search by county or by restaurant name.

Florida's restaurant owners are not required to post restaurant inspection results where guests can see them. So every week, we provide that information for you.

For a complete list of local restaurant inspections, including violations not requiring warnings or administrative action, visit our St. Johns County restaurant inspections site.

Here's the breakdown for recent health inspections in St. Johns County, Florida, for the week of Nov. 20-26, 2023. Please note that some more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here.

Disclaimer: The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation describes an inspection report as a 'snapshot' of conditions present at the time of the inspection. On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in their most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment.

For full restaurant inspection details, visit our St. Johns County restaurant inspection site.

Which St. Johns County restaurants got perfect scores on their health inspections?

These restaurants met all standards during their Nov. 20-26 inspections and no violations were found.

** Restaurants that failed an inspection and aced a follow-up inspection in the same week

Which St. Johns County restaurants had high-priority violations?

900 Degrees Pizza and Pasta

100 Center Creek Rd, Suite 101, Saint Augustine

Routine Inspection on Nov. 21

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

4 total violations, with 1 high-priority violation

  • High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed chicken (54F - Cold Holding) in flip-top table top reach in cooler. Person in charge voluntarily disposed of without answering questions. Observed red sauce on counter (55F - Cold Holding). Discussed time as a public health control with person in charge. Added time label of 11 on red sauce. **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

Cantina Louie

3735 Longleaf Pine Pkwy #201, St. Johns

Routine Inspection on Nov. 20

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

14 total violations, with 5 high-priority violations

  • High Priority - Nonfood-grade bags used in direct contact with food. Plastic carry out bag used in steamwell for cooked rice. Operator removed the rice from the plastic bag. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

  • High Priority - Raw animal food stored over or with ready-to-eat food in a freezer - not all products commercially packaged. In the walk in freezer open container of frozen ready to eat mango cubes under raw frozen steak. Operator had employee rearrange the storage levels. **Corrected On-Site**

  • High Priority - Ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety food not consumed/sold within 7 days after opening/preparation. See stop sale. In the walk in cooler, 1 container of refried beans from 11/11. Operator removed the beams to be discarded. **Corrective Action Taken**

  • High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food identified in the written procedure as a food held using time as a public health control has no time marking. No time marker for chicken tenders and fries held on time as public health control on the main cook line. Operator placed time marker on the containers. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

  • High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. On the main cook line, fish (89F - Hot Holding) per operator daily practice is to cook and place in the window and hold on time as public health control. Fish added to the written procedures for time as public health control and employee placed time marker on tray. On the main cook line, shrimp (111F - Hot Holding) shrimp inside double container cooked at 11am, operator had employee reheat the shrimp and remove from the double container to a double boiler at conclusion of inspection shrimp over 165F Hot Holding. **Corrective Action Taken** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

Chicken Salad Chick

1000-09 S Ponce De Leon Blvd, Saint Augustine

Routine Inspection on Nov. 20

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

4 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations

  • High Priority - Operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. Observed license expired 6/1/23 **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

  • High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed shredded cheddar cheese (61F - Cold Holding) on counter with no ice. Person in charge placed cheese in ice.

La Cocina Mexicana

3290 Us 1 S Ste D, Saint Augustine

Routine Inspection on Nov. 21

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

16 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations

  • High Priority - Raw animal food stored over or with ready-to-eat food in a freezer - not all products commercially packaged. In reach-in freezer in supply shed behind establishment, repackaged raw chicken stored over repackaged vegetables.

  • High Priority - Vacuum breaker missing at hose bibb or on fitting/splitter added to hose bibb. Vacuum breaker missing from faucet at mop sink. **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

Parlor Doughnuts St Augustine

3920 Sr-A1a N Unit 5, Saint Augustine

Routine Inspection on Nov. 20

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

7 total violations, with 1 high-priority violation

  • High Priority - Vacuum breaker missing at hose bibb or on fitting/splitter added to hose bibb. Mop sink in dish area missing vacuum breaker on non chemical side of splitter. **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

The Black Molly Grill

504 W Geoffery St, Saint Augustine

Routine Inspection on Nov. 20

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

18 total violations, with 3 high-priority violations

  • High Priority - Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. In first walk-in cooler, homemade marinara (44,45F - Cold Holding) Marinara was made 3 days prior. Operator discarded both containers of marinara.

  • High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. In middle reach-in cooler across from cook line, Alfredo (64F - Cold Holding, 2nd temp 43 with 1 hr time lapse); marinara (54F - Cold Holding, 2nd temp 39F with 1 hr time lapse) Operator stated food had been in cooler for 2 hours and put them both in the walk-in freezer. In first walk-in cooler, homemade marinara (44,45F - Cold Holding) Marinara was made 3 days prior. Operator discarded both containers of marinara. **Corrective Action Taken** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**

  • High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. In steam table next to grill, marinara (114F - Hot Holding, reheated to 200F) Operator stated marinara had been heated approximately 2 hours prior and reheated it during inspection. **Corrected On-Site**

What agency inspects restaurants in Florida?

Routine regulation and inspection of restaurants is conducted by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The Department of Health is responsible for investigation and control of food-borne illness outbreaks associated with all food establishments.

How do I report a dirty restaurant in Florida?

If you see abuses of state standards, report them and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation will send inspectors. Call the Florida DBPR at 850-487-1395 or report a restaurant for health violations online.

Get the whole story at our restaurant inspection database.

What does all that terminology in Florida restaurant inspections mean?

Basic violations are those considered against best practices.

A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report.

An administrative complaint is a form of legal action taken by the division. Insufficient compliance after a warning, a pattern of repeat violations or existence of serious conditions that warrant immediate action may result in the division initiating an administrative complaint against the establishment. Says the division website: "Correcting the violations is important, but penalties may still result from violations corrected after the warning time was over."

An emergency order — when a restaurant is closed by the inspector — is based on an immediate threat to the public. Here, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants director has determined that the establishment must stop doing business and any division license is suspended to protect health, safety or welfare of the public.

A 24-hour call-back inspection will be performed after an emergency closure or suspension of license.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Augustine area restaurant and food truck inspections Nov. 20-26