Sacramento restaurants face closures: 4 stories of health violations

Restaurants in Sacramento face closures primarily due to health violations like vermin or unsafe food temperatures. These incidents emerge despite most establishments passing inspections. Cockroach infestations shut down eateries like Palace Food Services and Kusina at Lumpia. Mold and unclean conditions also trigger closures. For instance, Tacos y Mariscos El Limón closed due to cockroaches and slime accumulation.

Issues range from blocked sinks to unapproved equipment as seen with Slice House. Despite these cases, only 1% of inspections lead to closures, while 97% of places pass each year.

NO. 1: WHY DID SACRAMENTO COUNTY INSPECTORS CLOSE 2 RESTAURANTS? COCKROACHES, MOLD AND MORE

Violations included a dirty fridge and “pink-colored residue” in an ice machine. | Published January 3, 2025 | Read Full Story by Hannah Poukish

NO. 2: TOWER CAFE IN SACRAMENTO CITED FOR ‘POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS.’ WHAT ELSE DID INSPECTORS FIND?

Sacramento County inspectors shut down a taco restaurant and cited 11 other businesses for health code violations. | Published January 31, 2025 | Read Full Story by Camila Pedrosa

NO. 3: HEALTH INSPECTORS CLOSED 100-PLUS SACRAMENTO COUNTY RESTAURANTS SINCE 2023. WHY?

One local restaurant was shut down six times due to cockroaches and other food safety issues. | Published June 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Camila Pedrosa

NO. 4: SACRAMENTO TACO SHOP CLOSED FOR COCKROACHES AFTER FAILING 4 HEALTH INSPECTIONS

Inspectors cited eight local eateries — including Tower Cafe — for safety violations ranging from mold to live rats. | Published May 9, 2025 | Read Full Story by Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.