Sacramento-area pizza, taco restaurants closed for cockroaches. What else did inspectors find?
Sacramento County inspectors closed a local pizza restaurant and taqueria after discovering cockroaches and other major health issues.
Meanwhile, a grocery store, two convenience stores and other Sacramento County establishments were cited for food safety violations ranging from a broken refrigerator to rodent droppings and black mold-like residue.
While a yellow placard signals two or more major violations, these are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County Food Inspection Guide.
A red placard, however, 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 inspection.
The county performs about 14,000 inspections annually, with 97% of establishments passing, spokesman Ken Casparis previously told The Sacramento Bee.
Approximately 1% of inspections result in a closure, he said.
Here are the results of Sacramento County food facility inspections for Thursday, Jan. 16, through Wednesday, Jan. 22, as of Thursday afternoon:
If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email The Sacramento Bee at servicejournalists@sacbee.com. The Bee publishes weekly updates on health inspections across Sacramento County.
Sacramento County pizza restaurant, taco shop closed due to cockroaches
Taqueria Los Lagos, 4141 Elverta Road in Antelope, had five violations on Friday, Jan. 17.
Sacramento County health inspectors shut down the taqueria after discovering a cockroach infestation in food prep areas.
On Jan. 17, inspectors found a live German cockroach with an egg sac on the wall above the kitchen preparation counter.
They discovered another live cockroach and an egg sacinside a cabinet mirror above a kitchen sink.
Six dead cockroaches and two egg sacs were on the floor under kitchen equipment and appliances, including a dry storage shelf, a rack of soda syrups, a freezer and two different sinks.
Inspectors said rice and beef were being held in a steam table at temperatures below what is considered safe.
A large bucket of enchilada sauce, a tray of cooked chicken and a pot of beans were being cooled without refrigeration and measured at unsafe temperatures.
Taqueria Los Lagos passed reinspection and received a green placard on Saturday, Jan. 18.
A restaurant representative told The Sacramento Bee that Taqueria Los Lagos worked to fix the issues.
“We (made) it and we reopened,” the representative said.
Famous Pizza, 4400 47th Ave., Suite 101, in Sacramento, had 10 violations on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
The pizza restaurant received a red placard after county inspectors found seven live and dying German cockroaches throughout the facility.
One cockroach was crawling across a table.
Other roaches were on the ceiling above a water heater and in the entrance to the refrigerator room, on the floor around a prep table, and on the wall beneath a kitchen paper towel dispenser.
Inspectors also found a box of paper containers stored inside a restroom.
Chicken wings inside a refrigerator measured at an unsafe temperature. The ambient temperature inside the refrigerator was warmer than is considered safe.
Employees did not sanitize dishes after washing, instead leaving them out to air dry, according to the report.
The restaurant was reinspected on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and inspectors ordered it to remain closed after finding more live and dead cockroaches in the facility.
Famous Pizza had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
A representative for the restaurant declined to comment on the closure when reached Thursday by a Sacramento Bee reporter.
7-Eleven, Chevron, Burger King and more cited for cockroaches, slime
Full Stop Market, 10069 Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova, had four violations on Thursday, Jan. 16.
Sacramento County health inspectors issued the convenience store a yellow placard for violations of cleaning and food safety regulations.
A refrigerator that is accessible to customers had ambient temperature outside safe ranges. Food inside the fridge, including hot dogs and sandwiches, measured at unsafe temperatures.
Inspectors discovered “slime-like residue” building up in an ice machine and a slushy machine.
The facility had no hot water and a handwashing sink was inaccessible due to a ladder in front of the sink and old cans inside the basin.
Full Stop Market passed a reinspection on Friday, Jan. 17.
Chevron and Burger King, 5869 Antelope Road in Sacramento, had seven violations on Thursday, Jan. 16.
The gas station and fast food restaurant were cited for improper cleanliness and violations of food safety rules.
Inspectors found “slime-like accumulation” inside of one of Chevron’s ice machines, the report said.
There was buildup on the floor under a cleaning sink and soda syrup under the ice machine and soda rack.
A food roller was not on the “hot holding” setting, which allowed buffalo ranch sticks on it to fall outside of the acceptable temperature range, according to the report.
Burger King had an issue with a drainage line.
Chevron and Burger King were reinspected and given a green placard on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Alibaba International Food, 1547 Fulton Ave., Suite D-1, in Sacramento, had 19 violations on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
The grocery store was cited by county health inspectors after inspectors discovered three dead Turkestan cockroaches near a back door.
Inspectors also found a tray of cooked beef sitting on rotisserie equipment at an unsafe temperature for 20 minutes.
A inoperable refrigerator held uncooked chicken, precooked breaded chicken and brie cheese, according to employees.
A rolled-up rug was stored on top of parchment paper in a baking area.
Inspectors found various unlabeled containers, including a bulk container of sugar and a spray bottle with “unidentified liquid contents” at the cook line, the report said. This was the fourth repeat offense involving the sugar being unlabeled.
Alibaba International Food had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
My Tho Vietnamese Food, 6175 Stockton Blvd., Suite 270, in Sacramento, had 10 violations on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Sacramento County issued the Vietnamese restaurant a yellow placard for mold and meat residue on food contact surfaces.
An ice machine had “black-mold like residue” on ice-making parts, the report said.
Inspectors found a meat slicer with leftover residue four hours after it was last used. This was a repeat violation, according to the report.
Various foods were outside of proper temperatures including bean sprouts, raw meat, barbecue pork, chicken and egg rolls.
Health inspectors said an automatic dishwasher was out of service and the staff had not set up a manual sanitizing station.
My Tho Vietnamese Food had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
7-Eleven, 4900 Watt Ave. in North Highlands, had four violations on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Inspectors cited the convenience store after they found rodent droppings and meat at unsafe temperatures.
Health officials discovered more than 30 droppings under a three-compartment cleaning sink in a back room.
Fried chicken and pepperoni pizza in a hot holding unit measured below safe temperatures.
Inspectors said all of the store’s employees had food safety certificates that expired in 2023.
The 7-Eleven location passed a reinspection on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Gogi Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, 9660 Bruceville Road in Elk Grove, had 12 violations on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
The Korean barbecue restaurant was issued a yellow placard due to improper food safety procedures.
Inspectors said sliced honeydew at a self-serve station and soup bases on a stovetop measured at improper temperatures.
The facility was missing a probe thermometer.
Numerous food items were unlabeled or improperly labeled, including popcorn chicken, fried chicken wings, oysters and clams.
Health inspectors said they witnessed the restaurant’s operator touch their face and nose and continue preparing food without washing their hands.
Gogi Korean BBQ & Hot Pot had not been reinspected as of Thursday afternoon.
