Jacksonville restaurants get warning

Inspector found roaches, flies and dirty habits

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Zero restaurants in our area were forced to close, but some local establishments were hit with a warning.

While searching the most recent inspection reports, I found out that some restaurants had to throw away food and others had some unwanted guests.

Recommended Videos



Istanbul Grill and Hookah Lounge on 9041 Southside Boulevard received eight high-priority violations last week. The inspector found four live roaches in the kitchen. He also found live flies near the prep table across from the walk in cooler.

According to the inspection report, there was evidence dirty mop water was being dumped onto the ground. One of the employees told the inspector they dump the water out the back door, which is not an approved sanitary sewage disposal location.

The inspection report also noted that greek salad, grilled vegetables and eggplant were being kept at temperatures that could be a potential health risk. Istanbul Grill and Hookah Lounge was given a warning and will have to go through a follow-up inspection.

Mi Tierra Spanish Groceries on 5761 Beney Road also missed the mark last week during its inspection receiving ten high-priority violations.

According to the inspection report, a live roach was found in the kitchen and was killed by the manager. The report also noted small flying insects were found in the dry storage area in the back of the restaurant.

The inspector found raw beef was being stored over fish in the reach in freezer, which poses as a health risk. The manager was forced to throw out cooked pork, shell eggs and milk due to - what the inspector called, "temperature abuse."

During his visit, the inspector spotted a cook handling tortillas after cracking shell eggs - before washing his hands. Those violations were corrected and Mi Tierra passed a follow-up inspection.

Next on our Restaurant Report Card, Slinkees Cafe on 10503 San Jose Boulevard received six high-priority violations last week. During his visit, the inspector found five flies above the pizza sauce on the prep table in the kitchen.

The inspection notes that an employee was seen working with food after touching the trash can, without washing her hands first. The manager voluntarily threw away cooked fries after the inspector found that they were not being stored at the correct temperature.

Slinkees was given a warning and will have to undergo a follow-up inspection.

After last week's inspections, no restaurants in our area were forced to close, but there was one more restaurant that made our Restaurant Report Card.

Tonight I'll take you to Daruma Japanese Steak House, on Beach Boulevard, that had a bug problem. What the inspector found and how long it took Daruma to clean up its act. I'll have that story for you tonight on The 10:00 News.