Restaurant Reviews: Q By Peter Chang, Lia's, Mussel Bar, Pieology

BETHESDA, MD — Do you know how clean your local coffee shop or restaurant is? Find the most recent restaurant and food service inspections in Bethesda and elsewhere in Montgomery County, performed by the Licensure and Regulatory Office at Health and Human Services. Results from inspections done Oct. 13-26 are listed at the bottom of this story.

Two types of inspections are done: comprehensive inspections evaluate the sanitation, maintenance and food service operations of the facility; and monitoring inspections involve checking the food service operation for critical food temperatures, equipment temperatures and general food handling, cleanliness practices.

County inspectors check kitchens in churches, schools, pool houses and golf clubs. They also monitor the cleanliness of snack bars, kiosks inside grocery stores, hotel kitchens, bakeries and bars.

Search for any restaurant's inspection score on the Montgomery County website.

Tips to spot a possibly unclean restaurant kitchen are:

• Outdoor space: If the exterior is unkempt and littered, don't trust the inside.
• How clean is the restroom? Smells and overflowing trash cans are a red flag.
• Well-groomed employees: Are they washed, do they wear gloves when handling food, and do they wash their hands? If not, be careful.
• Healthy servers: If your waiter is sneezing or coughing, ask for another or consider leaving
• Table cleaning: Is a clean rag and disinfectant used to clean the table's surface? If not, the staff could just be spreading germs around.

MORE ON PATCH:

• Bethesda Restaurant Inspections: Dolcezza, Pizza Tempo, Godiva Chocolatier, Dunkin' Donuts
• Bethesda Restaurant Inspections: Alfio's, Bethesda Row Cafe, Cava Mezze Grill, Silver, Vino Volo
• Bethesda Restaurant Inspections: Crave, Five Guys, Taylor Gourmet, Pines Of Rome
• Bethesda Restaurant Inspections: Chipotle, Tastee Diner, Harris Teeter, Nando's, Barrel & Crow
• Bethesda Restaurant Inspections: O'Donnell's Market, Safeway, Panda Express

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