Rat droppings, roaches & mold. Worst Sacramento restaurant inspections in August
Sacramento County health inspectors shut down three pizzerias, a Mexican restaurant and other local eateries in August due to a variety of food safety violations.
Reasons for the closures ranged from rodent droppings, cockroaches and pink slime to mold, meat residue and “potentially hazardous foods” at unsafe temperatures.
In addition, a number of local restaurants received yellow placards in August for health code violations.
While a yellow placard signals two or more major violations, these are typically corrected or mitigated during the inspection, according to the Sacramento County Retail 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.
The following restaurants received red placards in August, resulting in their temporary closures, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.
Sacramento soul food restaurant had dead rat, rodent droppings
Creole Soul Restaurant & Bar, 2026 Broadway in Sacramento, had two major food safety violations on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Sacramento County health inspectors shut down the Sacramento Southern food restaurant after finding a dead rat caught in a trap on the back soda syrup rack.
Inspectors also found approximately 22 rodent droppings in several areas, including under the dry storage racks by the water heater and on the soda syrup boxes and the two-door cooler.
Additionally, a back door was propped open during the inspection and the netting had a gap greater than a quarter-inch at the bottom.
Creole Soul Restaurant & Bar was reinspected on Thursday, Aug. 7, and passed with a green placard.
Kaneisha Straughter, co-owner of Creole Soul Restaurant & Bar, said the issues that shut down her restaurant were due to building ownership and were fixed with three hours of the health inspection.
“The landlord fixed everything that needed to be fixed,” Straughter told The Bee at the time.
Little Caesars location closed for cockroaches
Little Caesars, 3901 Madison Ave., Suite 95, in North Highlands, had seven violations on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
Health inspectors closed the Little Caesars location in North Highlands after spotting several pepperoni pizzas on the speed rack outside of proper public health controls. This was a chronic repeat violation.
Health inspectors found one live adult German cockroach on the cove base tile behind the one-door, upright freezer.
There were approximately five to eight nymphs on the floor and a cracked tile on the mop sink, and one adult cockroach behind the electrical outlet plate where the freezer was plugged.
Inspectors also found 10 dead cockroaches in the facility, including under the front counter refrigerator.
Health inspectors saw an employee’s water bottle on the preparation table. Containers holding garlic, parsley and baking powder were open and lacked lids.
There was ice build-up inside the one-door, upright freezer. Health inspectors found a sanitizer bucket near the front counter with no ammonia. This was a repeat violation.
Finally, Little Caesars was cited for broken tiles around the mop sink and peeling ceiling tiles along the walkway to the restroom.
The pizza restaurant was reinspected on Thursday, Aug. 7, and passed with a green placard.
Cockroaches close Mountain Mike’s Pizza in Sacramento
Mountain Mike’s Pizza, 7660 La Riviera Drive in Sacramento, had 10 violations on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
Health inspectors closed the Sacramento pizzeria after finding multiple German cockroaches throughout the facility, indicating an “active infestation,” the Monday, Aug. 1
Health inspectors discovered a total of 10 cockroaches in various areas, including behind the refrigerator, behind the two-compartment sink and under the warewashing machine.
Several “potentially hazardous foods” were outside of proper holding temperatures, including cooked chicken wings and pepperoni pizza.
There was old food residue on parts of a table-counted can opener, the report said, while “old syrup and slime-like residues” on the nozzles and surrounding surfaces on the self-service soda dispenser.
Dough on the food preparation table was left unattended and uncovered during active preparation, and two bags of onions were stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler.
Several areas within the facility were unclean and improperly maintained, posing a potential contamination risk.
These areas included the back food prep area, main prep cold unit area, behind the main pizza oven and under the salad bar storage unit.
A glass cup containing an employee’s personal drink was on the food preparation table.
Mountain Mike’s Pizza was reinspected on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and passed with a green placard.
Sacramento tea shop closed due to lack to water
Bingsu Tea, 2711 Del Paso Road, Suite 100, in Sacramento, had one violation on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
Health inspectors shut down the Sacramento tea shop due to a lack of hot water.
According to the manager, the hot water had been out for two days prior to the inspection.
“Despite the lack of hot water, the facility was fully operational,” inspectors said in the Aug. 21 report. “After being advised of the issue, the manager agreed to voluntarily close the facility.”
At the time, Bingsu Tea manager Lynn Sok told The Sacramento Bee that repairs were “taking a longer time due to complication of the space and the unit size requirements.”
“This shutdown was due to hot water issues and had nothing to do with sanitization of the business,” Sok said.
Bingsu Tea was reinspected on Saturday, Aug. 23, and passed with a green placard.
Inspectors shut down Sacramento pizzeria for rat droppings, mold
Federalist Public House, 2009 Matsui Alley in Sacramento, had 11 violations on Monday, Aug. 25.
Health inspectors closed the restaurant, known for its wood-fired pizza and craft beer, after discovering 585 rat droppings in more than 10 locations including under the stand mixer, under the ice maker and under the reach-in coolers.
In the Aug. 25 report, inspectors recommended that the restaurant undergo “aggressive professional pest control” to eliminate the vermin infestation.
The restaurant’s bar sink lacked paper towels.
Health inspectors found personal food stored in the walk-in cooler above the food for the facility. Inspectors observed grey spots on the walls of the ice maker.
A box of potatoes was stored directly on the floor of the walk-in cooler.
There was dust on the walk-in cooler, “black mold-like growth” on the ceiling in the kitchen and the three-compartment sink, as well as food debris under the lids of prep coolers, under reach-in coolers and on the floor of the walk-in cooler.
Federalist Public House was reinspected on Tuesday, Aug. 26, and passed with a green placard.
Local Mexican restaurant closed due to roaches
Taqueria Tapaltos, 3435 El Camino Ave. in Sacramento, had 11 violations on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Inspectors shut down the Sacramento Mexican food restaurant after finding live adult and nymph German cockroaches at the rear of the facility, at the closed interior gate and under the three-door upright refrigerator.
Chicken, pork and beef in an ice bath at the cook’s line measured too warm to be considered safe, and cooked potatoes were too cold. Beans were being improperly cooled in an ice bath in the walk-in cooler.
The shelf under the grill had “excessive oil, food debris and grease,” the report said, and the front self-service soda machine had unclean surfaces.
Onions were stored on the floor.
A tabletop can opener had debris residue on the teeth and mechanical parts, and the meat slicer had meat residue on the handle and blade. The kitchen handsink paper towel dispenser was empty at the time of inspection.
Taqueria Tapaltos passed reinspection on Friday, Aug. 29, and got a green placard.
Thai restaurant in Rancho Cordova had rat droppings, pink slime
Sala Thai, 3101 Zinfandel Drive, Suite 148, in Rancho Cordova, had 12 violations on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Inspectors shut down the Thai restaurant in Rancho Cordova aftering finding approximately 50 rat droppings below the water heater in the back of the kitchen and about 15 to 25 droppings throughout the corners of the cook’s line, the front counter in the lobby and the back of dry storage area.
“Pink slime” was on the ice machine baffle, the report said.
Three 5-gallon containers of protein lacked covers and a mesh bag of onions was stored directly on the floor inside the walk-in refrigerator.
Multiple areas were in need of cleaning, including on and below the cooking equipment on the cook’s line and inside the true freezer by the walk-in refrigerator.
Pots of red and green curry on a metal shelf by the deep fryer measured outside of the temperature range considered safe.
Other “potentially hazardous food” items inside the walk-in refrigerator measured at unsafe temperatures, including brown rice, ground pork, bean sprouts and chicken satay.
Sala Thai Restaurant was reinspected on Thursday, Aug. 28, and passed with a green placard.
