212 SLO County restaurants were inspected in February. Here’s who scored the worst

Kaytlyn Leslie
·6 min read

One restaurant had dogs in the building, another was thawing shrimp wrong and several had problems with employees not properly washing their hands.

Those were some of the notable conditions San Luis Obispo County health inspectors found in February 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 212 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in February.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Orcutt Burger, 1771 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Points lost: 27.5

Notes: During its routine inspection in February, Orcutt Burger in Grover Beach was found to have a number of serious health code violations. According to an inspector, employees were not properly trained in food safety, sinks did not have proper hand-washing supplies — so employees were not property washing their hands with soap and warm water — and it did not have sanitizer buckets set up in the kitchen for use during food prep. The inspector also noted there was “no designated person in charge at the time of inspection” and that they were unable to verify required food safety certifications. According to inspection notes, the certifications were being kept in a locked drawer where employees did not have access. Other violations included uncovered and open food in the refrigerator, dirty hood filters above the grill, multi-use wiping cloths that were not being sanitized between uses and an open back door to the kitchen. Due to the violations, the restaurant was ordered to be reinspected; if the violations were not fixed at that time, the restaurant would be on the hook for reinspection fees of $147/hour.

Burritos Express, 1495 Creston Road, Paso Robles

Points lost: 18.5

Notes: According to inspection notes, the Paso Robles Mexican restaurant was found to have a number of health violations in February. These included employees improperly thawing food items and sanitizing tools like dishes and food contact surfaces. Notably, the restaurant was improperly thawing shrimp and keeping it on a counter until it was ordered, according to the inspection notes. Management was told to review the inspection report with employees to ensure the violations were corrected and the facility was maintained properly.

Round Table Pizza, 1600 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Points lost: 18

Notes: Round Table Pizza in Grover Beach is in the process of changing owners, according to inspection notes — but a number of notable health code violations could prevent the new owner from being allowed to operate unless they are fixed. Those included employees not being properly trained on food safety, a hand-washing sink blocked by a drink fridge, other hand-washing sinks being improperly used as “dump sinks” and a freezer being kept in the back storage room that is only approved to have supplies and dry goods. The inspector also noted the pizza place was in need of a deep cleaning to remove food debris, flour and dirt buildup on the floors, walls and ceilings, as well as mildew and mold growth on the walls, shelving, floors and fans of the walk-in refrigeration unit. Due to the violations, the restaurant was ordered to be reinspected. Following its reinspection Feb. 27, the restaurant had corrected almost all of its violations, and was told to continue addressing any remaining ones.

Scorpion Bay Coffee, 610 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach

Points lost: 18

Notes: Though the Pismo Beach coffee shop faced a number of health code violations, it was also in trouble with the county for not paying its health permit fees. In its February inspection notes, the coffee shop was warned it had until mid-February to pay its fees or the facility “would be closed due to operating without a valid health permit.” Leslie Terry, the county’s supervising environmental health specialist, said the shop did pay the fees in time and as of Monday were open. Meanwhile, Scorpion Bay Coffee lost points during its inspection because employees were not properly trained on food safety, specifically on proper sanitation of food contact surfaces and proper hand washing. The inspector observed a hand-washing sink that was apparently being used to wash dishes, another that didn’t have soap and a final hand sink that did not have a splash guard but did have clean dishes stored around it. The coffee shop also lost points for allowing dogs inside the facility, open doors and windows without screens, and no valid food safety certification on site. Because of these violations, the shop was ordered to be reinspected.

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

  • La Parrilla Taqueria, 7109 El Camino Real, Atascadero

  • Sushi Kokku, 630 First St., Paso Robles

  • Byblos Mediterranean Grill, 5945 Traffic Way, Atascadero

  • Pho 4 U, 5985 Entrada Ave., Atascadero

  • Agave Grill, 671 W. Tefft St., Nipomo

  • Munchiez 805, 2796 Halcyon Road, Arroyo Grande

  • Martinez Restaurant, 2524 Spring St., Paso Robles

  • Divine Thai Cuisine, 501 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

  • Pan D’Oro Bakery, 6005 El Camino Real, Atascadero

  • Villa Del Mar, 1100 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

  • Darwish Restaurant, 967 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

  • Joe’s Other Place, 730 Main St., Templeton

  • J&R Natural Meats, 1121 Rossi Road, Templeton

  • La Casita, 1572 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach

Highest-rated restaurants

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

San Luis Obispo

  • Backcountry Foodie, 4750 Allene Way

  • Barometer Coffee LLC, 4750 Allene Way

  • Capriotti’s, 791 Foothill Blvd.

  • Coastal Peaks Roasters, 3566 S. Higuera St.

  • Five Below, 271 Madonna Road

  • Fried and Loaded, 13 Santa Rosa St.

  • Jan’s Place, 1817 Osos St.

  • The Kitchen Terminal SLO, 4750 Allene Way

  • Kor Kitchen, 4750 Allene Way

  • Lil’s Meals, 4750 Allene Way

  • Q-Team, 4750 Allene Way

  • Rad Juice, LLC 3563 Sueldo St.

  • San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens, 3450 Dairy Creek Road

  • Seoul Food, 4750 Allene Way

North Coast

  • Best Western San Marcos Inn, 250 Pacific St., Morro Bay

  • Blue Sky Bistro, 699 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

  • Bob and Jan’s Bottle Shop, 2292 Main St., Cambria

  • Cayucos Sunset inn, 95 S. Ocean Ave., Cayucos

  • Grassy Bar Oyster Company Inc., 1215 Embarcadero, Morro Bay

  • Hazards Los Osos, LLC, 1019 Santa Ynez Ave., Los Osos

  • Legends at the Circle inn, 899 Main St., Morro Bay

  • Morro Bay Mart, 900 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay

  • Sweet Offerings, 4070 Burton Drive, Cambria

South County

  • AFC Sushi at Vons #1621, 520 W. Tefft St., Nipomo

  • Auten Boys BBQ & Catering Inc, 250 Avila Beach Drive, Avila Beach

  • Arroyo Grande Care Center, 1212 Farroll Ave., Arroyo Grande

  • Garland’s Hamburgers, 701 W. Grand Ave, Grover Beach

North County

  • Ace Sushi at Vons #3214, 7135 El Camino Real, Atascadero

  • Crimson Cue Billiard, 1319 Spring St., Paso Robles

  • Fish Gaucho, 1244 Park St., Paso Robles

  • Habaneros Mexican Restaurant, 555 12th St., Paso Robles

  • Pacific Harvest Catering, 86 Gibson Road, Templeton

  • Paso Robles Arco AM/PM, 195 Niblick Road, Paso Robles

  • Paso Robles Inn Ballroom, 1103 Spring St., Paso Robles

  • Starbucks Coffee #5987, 7029 El Camino Real, Atascadero

  • Templeton Spirits, 575 Main St., Templeton