WEST CHESTER, PA — Chester County health inspectors ordered one food facility to stop operating after it lost hot water and documented temperature-control, sanitation and pest-control violations at several restaurants during inspections conducted July 29.
Tacos El Guzano in Spring City was directed to cease operations until hot water could be supplied for handwashing and warewashing, according to the Chester County Health Department. Inspectors reported that the facility ran out of water during the inspection and that all three refrigerators were holding potentially hazardous foods above the required 41-degree limit.
Some temperature-controlled foods were discarded, while cooked onions that had not cooled quickly enough were reheated and placed into hot holding. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing, blocked access to a hand sink, failure to sanitize utensils, room-temperature cooling of cooked beef and improper disposal of mop water.
At Rey Azteca Mexican Restaurant in West Chester, inspectors found several live roaches in glue traps near the ice machine and directed the restaurant to obtain emergency pest-control service within 24 hours. The facility was also cited for a dishwasher that registered no chlorine sanitizer, repeat food-safety violations and improper thawing practices involving chicken and vacuum-packaged tilapia.
The restaurant was instructed to wash food-contact equipment in its three-compartment sink until the dishwasher’s sanitizer supply was restored. Inspectors also ordered repairs to gaps around exterior doors and additional cleaning of kitchen floors and drains.
Barnaby’s in West Chester was cited for multiple food-storage, temperature-control and sanitation violations. Inspectors found raw shrimp, beef and eggs stored above ready-to-eat foods, which were relocated during the inspection.
Several cheeses, Manhattan clam chowder, cooked mushrooms and mixed vegetables had exceeded required date-marking limits and were discarded. Inspectors also reported food held above 41 degrees in two bar coolers, insufficient sanitizer in a dishwasher, residue inside soda nozzles and most ice machines, and a leak beneath a three-compartment sink.
At Deccan Flavors in Exton, inspectors ordered the restaurant to stop using a sanitizer dispenser after testing found a concentration of 1,130 parts per million, a level the department described as unapproved for food-contact sanitizing. The facility was permitted to use chlorine sanitizer temporarily after contacting the equipment provider.
Goat curry and sauce that lacked proper date markings or had exceeded allowed storage periods were discarded. Inspectors also found unlabeled chemical containers, an open employee beverage and pots too large to be cleaned in the available sinks or dishwasher.
Los Amigos Mexican Restaurant in Honey Brook, inspected following a change in ownership, was cited after rice was held at 119 degrees rather than the required minimum of 135 degrees and salsa was found at 61 degrees. Both were discarded.
The restaurant’s walk-in refrigerator reached 48 degrees during the inspection, prompting staff to relocate food and call for repairs. Additional violations involved missing date labels, inadequate allergen information on packaged desserts, equipment repairs and an open rear door.
Pho Now in Downingtown was cited after cooked noodles were held at 48 degrees on a preparation counter, though they were moved into refrigeration because inspectors determined they had been out for less than an hour. The restaurant also lacked accurate sanitizer test strips and initially produced a zero sanitizer reading in its warewashing sink after using scented bleach.
Inspectors directed the restaurant to remove the scented bleach and prepare a new sanitizing solution with unscented bleach. Other violations involved employee eating and open beverages in food-preparation areas, missing food labels, residue on a food peeler and a leaking sink pipe.
At Cafe Brock at CTDI in West Chester, a follow-up inspection found food held between 48 and 50 degrees in a two-door cooler. The department ordered the business to repair, adjust or replace the unit and stop using it until it could maintain food at 41 degrees or below.
The Health Department reported eight other facilities in compliance during July 29 inspections:
- Cava Mezze Grill in Downingtown,
- Coventry Parlor in Pottstown,
- Manfredi Cold Storage Cafeteria in Toughkenamon,
- Osaka Asian Cuisine in Downingtown,
- September Farm Cheese in Honey Brook,
- Smoothie King in West Chester,
- The Original Hot Bagels in Landenberg, and
- Wayback Burger in West Goshen.
The department cautions that inspection reports represent conditions observed at a specific time and may not reflect a facility’s long-term sanitation or food-safety record.
Residents may submit confidential environmental health complaints at https://www.chesco.org/5843. Anyone who became ill after eating at a food establishment should call 610-344-6225 rather than using the online complaint form.
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