3 Sacramento-area restaurants closed for cockroaches, rodents. What else did inspectors find?

Sacramento County health inspectors shut down three local restaurants after discovering cockroaches, rodent droppings and dirty knives.

In addition, three restaurants received yellow placards due to safety violations including old food debris, improperly cooled food and a dishwasher being run without soap.

A yellow placard signals two or more major violations, according to the Sacramento County Food Inspection Guide. These are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection.

A red placard signals “imminent danger to public health and safety” and suspends the health permit until violations are corrected. This could include, but is not limited to, major vermin contamination.

In contrast, a green placard means a restaurant passed the inspection.

The county conducts roughly 14,000 inspections a year, and 97% of all restaurants pass their inspections, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee. About 1% of inspections result in a closure.

Health inspectors did not close any restaurants last week due to safety violations.

Here are the Sacramento County food facility inspections for May 30 through Wednesday, as of noon Thursday:

If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Sacramento Bee reporter Jacqueline Pinedo at jpinedo@sacbee.com. The Bee will publish weekly updates on health inspections across Sacramento County.

Local restaurants shut down for cockroaches and rodent droppings

The Backyard, 7238 Murieta Drive in Rancho Murieta, had five violations on Tuesday.

Inspectors found approximately 48 rodent droppings in various locations around the bar and grill, according to Tuesday’s report.

They discovered about 20 rodent droppings inside a box of steam table plastic liner below a food preparation table in the cook’s line, the report said, as well as 15 on the bottom shelf of the prep table and five on the floor below the table.

In addition, there were five rodent droppings inside an empty cabinet and three in a cabinet by the bar.

Inspectors also saw slime on the ice machine deflector.

The restaurant was reinspected on Wednesday, and passed.

The Sacramento Bee reached out to the restaurant for comment, but had not heard back as of Thursday afternoon.

Pho Xe Lua, 5331 Stockton Blvd. in Sacramento, had nine violations on May 30.

Inspectors found German cockroaches in various stages throughout the Vietnamese restaurant, according to the May 30 report.

Three live roaches were on the kitchen floors, the report said, and “many dead and dying adult German cockroaches” were on the floors under the kitchen hand sink.

Inspectors also saw rodent droppings on the restaurant’s floors and dirty knives that had been put away on a rack but were unclean.

Bean sprouts were outside of proper holding temperatures.

The restaurant was reinspected on May 31, but again received a red placard due to continued cockroach activity.

On June 1, the facility was reinspected for a third time and passed.

The Bee reached out to the restaurant for comment, but had not heard back as of Thursday afternoon.

Arigato Sushi, 1608 Howe Ave. in Sacramento, had seven violations on May 30.

There were nine German cockroaches throughout the sushi restaurant during the May 30 inspection.

Inspectors spotted roaches on the floor in a dry storage room, on a dry storage rack and behind sinks.

They also found cockroach feces “along corners, behind old foam sealant and old wooden material below counters,” the report said.

Foods including miso base, cut tomatoes, tofu, eel, shrimp tempura and one container of sprouts were outside of proper holding temperatures, according to the report.

The sushi restaurant was reinspected on May 31 and reopened.

The Bee reached out to the restaurant for comment, but had not heard back as of Thursday afternoon.

Sacramento County restaurants and market cited for health violations

The following Sacramento County restaurants had violations the week of May 30 through June 5, resulting in a conditional pass.

Only the dates of violations are listed. Most restaurants fully pass reinspection within 72 hours. The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, you can search the EMD website here.

Fukumi, 5410 Sunrise Blvd. in Citrus Heights, had four violations on May 30.

There was no soap in the dishwasher during a cleaning cycle, according to the May 30 report.

Boiled eggs were at an improper holding temperature.

The restaurant was reinspected on May 31 and received a green placard.

Pho Lotus Restaurant, 9600 Bruceville Road in Elk Grove, had 12 violations on May 28.

There was old food debris on a meat slicer and a refrigerator during the May 28 inspection.

Inspectors observed rice scoopers in stagnant water and “black soot” on hood filters, according to the report.

The restaurant’s food safety certification was expired during the inspection and multiple employees did not have their food handler cards.

The restaurant was reinspected on May 30 and received a green placard.

La Superior Mercados, 2210 Northgate Blvd. in Sacramento, had 10 violations on May 29.

Employees used improper cooling methods while handling cooked beans and beef tongue, according to the May 29 report.

A container of bulk tortilla chips in the kitchen didn’t have a lid,

“A container of fly traps (was) stored on top of frying oil in the storage closet,” the report said.

The market had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.

This story was originally published June 7, 2024 at 7:00 AM.