Here are the restaurants and other food facilities that Riverside County Department of Environmental Health inspectors temporarily shut down because of imminent health hazards between Sept. 9 and 16, 2021. If no reopening date is mentioned, the department had not listed that facility as reopened as of this publication.
River Khwae, 23750 Alessandro Blvd. Suite L101, Moreno Valley
- Closed: Sept. 16
- Grade: Not graded
- Reason: No hot water, no valid permit. A report from the restaurant’s last inspection in May shows its permit was set to expire at the end of June.
El Arabachi and Taqueria Los Perez, food trucks based at 3815 Wabash Drive, Jurupa Valley
- Closed: Sept. 14
- Grade: Not graded
- Reason: Operating without a valid commissary agreement. Food trucks must have an agreement with a commissary where they can take care of sanitation issues. Two El Arabachi trucks and Taqueria Los Perez did not have agreements on file, health department officials said. This is the fourth time this year that one of the El Arabachi trucks has been shut down and the second time for Taqueria Los Perez, records show.
Mongolian BBQ, 1242 University Ave. Suite 7, Riverside
- Closed: Sept. 13
- Grade: Not graded
- Reason: No hot water. The restaurant was operating even though the manager was aware there was no hot water, according to the inspector.
- Reopened: Sept. 15
Johnny’s Burgers, 3394 Madison St., Riverside
- Closed: Sept. 13
- Grade: Not graded
- Reason: Fire damage. The restaurant had voluntarily closed and was cleaning the affected areas when the health inspector arrived.
- Reopened: Sept. 14
Wanda’s Place at California Baptist University, 8470 Magnolia Ave., Riverside
- Closed: Sept. 9
- Grade: Not graded
- Reason: Fire damage. The restaurant had voluntarily closed, discarded all contaminated food and contacted a cleaning service before the health inspector arrived.
- Reopened: Sept. 10
- New grade: 92/A, passing, on Sept. 15
Non-closure inspections of note
Here are selected inspections at facilities that weren’t closed but had significant issues.
Pho Vinam, at 1201 University Ave. Suite 107 in Riverside, was inspected Sept. 16 and received a failing grade of 81/B with two critical violations. The inspector saw several live roaches, and did not close the restaurant but required it to get pest control service before a follow-up inspection next week. Also, an employee was washing raw shrimp and raw beef in the same sink. Among the eight other violations, an employee wasn’t washing hands and the inspector wrote that the restaurant was “EXTREMELY dirty” and “in need of MAJOR CLEANING” before the follow-up. This was the restaurant’s second failed inspection in the past three years; last time, in November 2018, it was closed because of a cockroach infestation.
The Real Italian Deli, at 100 S. Sunrise Way Suite B in Palm Springs, was inspected Sept. 14 and received a failing grade of 83/B with one critical violation. Grab-and-go food, cheese, salami and sardines were at unsafe temperatures, and three refrigerators were impounded for not keeping cold.
Ruben & Ozzy’s Oyster Bar & Grill, at 241 E Tahquitz Canyon Way in Palm Springs, was inspected Sept. 14 in response to a foodborne illness complaint and received a failing grade of 85/B. Among the 10 violations, none of which was counted as critical, a cook didn’t wash hands, there was no sanitizer at the dishwashing sink, a cook said knives and oyster shucking tools are washed only once a day (every four hours is required) and a bug light was mounted over a food prep and storage area.
The Public House, at 41971 Main St. in Temecula, was inspected Sept. 13 in response to a foodborne illness complaint. It received a failing grade of 83/B with two critical violations. Food was at unsafe temperatures in two refrigerators that were impounded for not keeping cold. Also, the bar dishwasher was not dispensing sanitizer and was impounded as well. Among the seven other violations, there were fruit flies in the kitchen and the restaurant was told to stop using a non-commercial-grade InstaPot and to move a fish aquarium that was over the keg taps to a place away from food and beverages. The restaurant passed a follow-up inspection Sept. 15 with a score of 92/A; several issues still hadn’t been corrected, including the InstaPot and aquarium.
Updates from past weeks
La Alteña Meat & Produce, at 8947 Limonite Ave. in Jurupa Valley, which was failed an Aug. 30 inspection with a grade of 83/B and was closed because of a cockroach infestation, was permitted to reopen Sept. 13. It passed a follow-up inspection with a 100/A.
About this list
This list is published online on Fridays. Any updates as restaurants are reopened will be included in next week’s list.
All food facilities in the county are routinely inspected to ensure they meet health codes. A facility loses four points for each critical violation — and may have to close if the violation can’t be corrected immediately — and one or two points for minor violations. An A grade (90 to 100 points) is passing. Grades of B (80 to 89 points) and C (79 or below) are failing and typically require the proprietor to make improvements and be re-inspected.
For more information on inspections of these or any restaurants in Riverside County, visit restaurantgrading.rivcoeh.org. To submit a health complaint about a restaurant, go to www.rivcoeh.org/Complaint or call 888-722-4234 during business hours or 951-782-2968 after-hours.
