Alexandria Restaurant Inspections: Vaso's Mediterranean, Thai Peppers

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The latest restaurant inspections are posted up to Oct. 4, and there's a mix of restaurants with violations and no violations.

The Alexandria Health Department's environmental health specialist regularly inspects restaurants and other food service establishments around the city. Each food service establishment gets at least one inspection per year, but the frequency of inspections is based on the type of food prepared and how it is prepared, according to the Virginia Department of Health inspection database. Inspections may be routine visits, follow-up inspections, training inspections, pre-opening inspections, or risk assessment or complaint inspections.

Reports are typically available a week after the inspection. Residents can search for a specific restaurant or browse a map of inspected locations through the online database.

Below are the most recent reports for restaurants around Alexandria. Click on each link to see the full report for the restaurant.

Andy's Pizza: 107 N. Fayette St. Alexandria, VA 22314

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (pre-opening)

Violations: No violations found.

Genova Pizza: 4614 Kenmore Ave Alexandria, VA 22304

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (routine)

Violations: Observed no paper towels in employee (rear) restroom, observed floors in multiple areas - including around walk-in cooler drain line and three-compartment sink - were not smooth nor easily cleanable, observed two unshielded light bulbs above chest freezer/warewashing area.

Starbucks @ Safeway Store #3250: 3526 King St Alexandria, VA 22302

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (routine)

Violations: The milk and half and half stored in the 2 door cooler is cold-holding above 41 F, 2 door cooler unit is cold holding at 49 F.

El Texano Bar and Grill: 514 S Van Dorn St #E Alexandria, VA 22304

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (pre-opening)

Violations: No violations found.

Mai Thai Restaurant: 6 King St Alexandria, VA 22314

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (routine)

Violations: No violations found.

Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant: 516 A/B S Van Dorn St. Alexandria, VA 22304

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (follow-up)

Violations: No violations found.

Thai Peppers Restaurant: 2018 Mt. Vernon Ave Alexandria, VA 22301

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (routine)

Violations: No disposable towels were provided at the hand washing lavatory in the kitchen (ran out of paper towels), food (lettuce, cabbage, chicken, beansprouts) for which time rather than temperature is being used as a control was not labeled or otherwise marked with a 4 hour cook, serve or discard by time, floor to wall junction near walk-in cooler needs to be repaired along with the floor tiles in front of walk-in cooler, door frame needs to be repaired, ceiling tiles in room with chest freezer needs to be replaced.

Bugsy's Pizza Restaurant and Sports Bar: 111 King St Alexandria, VA 22314

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (risk factor)

Violations: No violations found.

Roha Ethiopian Restaurant: 291 S. Van Dorn St. Alexandria, VA 22304

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (other reason)

Violations: No violations found.

Oak Steak House: 901 N St Asaph St Alexandria, VA 22314

Last inspection: Oct. 4 (follow-up)

Violations: No violations found.

Evening Star Cafe: 2000 Mt Vernon Ave Alexandria, VA 22301

Last inspection: Oct. 3 (follow-up)

Violations: No violations found.

El Pulgarcito: 3838 Mt. Vernon Ave Alexandria, VA 22305

Last inspection: Oct. 3 (routine)

Due to improper operation of the low temperature chemical sanitizing mechanical warewashing machine, equipment food-contact surfaces and utensils are not sanitized after cleaning, working container of bleach sanitizer is not properly labeled.

Peruvian Brothers: 4592 Eisenhower Ave Alexandria, VA 22304

Last inspection: Oct. 3 (routine)

Violations: Observed boxes of food stored on floor of walk-in freezer, observed shield for lightbulb in back corner of walk-in cooler to be shattered.

Choongman Chicken: 4686 King St Alexandria, VA 22302

Last inspection: Oct. 3 (routine)

Violations: The handwashing facility located at the tea preparation area in the front of the facility is blocked, preventing access by employees for easy handwashing, raw squid (46°F) and raw chicken (46°F) located inside the walk-in cooler cold holding at improper temperatures, working containers of sanitizer and other blue cleaning chemical are not properly labeled, unlabeled food ingredient (flour, etc.) containers, nonfood contact surfaces of the stove at the main cooking line had accumulations of grease, grime and/or other debris.

M.E. Swing's Coffee Roasters: 501 E. Monroe Ave Alexandria, VA 22301

Last inspection: Oct. 3 (routine)

Violations: No violations found.

Barkhaus: 529 E Howell Ave. Alexandria, VA 22301

Last inspection: Sept. 30 (routine)

Last inspection: The cutting board along the prep refrigerator is heavily scratched, non-food contact surfaces are in need of cleaning: exterior of fryer on the left), interior of prep refrigerator, interior of 1-door reach in refrigerator, exterior of grill, floor underneath equipment and inside the walk in cooler is in need of cleaning.

Chipotle Mexican Grill #2217: 3425 Richmond Hwy Alexandria, VA 22305

Last inspection: Sept. 30 (routine)

Violations: No violations found.

Muscle Maker Grill/Pokemoto: 3001 N. Beauregard St Alexandria, VA 22311

Last inspection: Sept. 29 (routine)

Violations: No certified food protection manager to supervise the food establishment's food service employees, breakfast sandwiches found in the 2 door upright were cold holding at improper temperatures, 2 door upright unit is cold holding above 41 F.

Tequila & Taco: 540 John Carlyle St Alexandria, VA 22314

Last inspection: Sept. 28 (routine)

Violations: No certified food protection manager to supervise the food establishment's food service employees, observed multiple employees using their cellphones while prepping food, observed an employee come from outside and donning gloves without washing his hands, observed lack of handwashing from the staff, soap was not provided at the handwashing lavatory in the back kitchen cookline next to the ice machine, queso found on the cookline in a soup well was hot holding below 135 F, observed a few items from the right prep unit to be cold-holding above 41 F, no labels were found on the spray bottles found throughout the establishment, food containers for cooling food are arranged so as not allow for maximum heat transfer: observed a covered container of corn being cooled in the walk-in cooler and ground beef (uncovered) was being cooled in a deep metal pan, no test strips were found for the dish machine or 3 compartment sink dispenser.

Augie's Mussel House & Patio: 1106 King St Alexandria, VA 22314

Last inspection: Sept. 28 (routine)

Violations: No written procedures for the use of time as a public health control with potentially hazardous foods.

Vaso's Mediterranean Bistro: 1118 King St Alexandria, VA 22314

Last inspection: Sept. 28 (routine)

Violations: Person in charge is not ensuring that employees are not using proper methods to rapidly cool time/temperature control for safety foods, handwashing facility located in the kitchen is disconnected, date on which the last shellstock from the container is sold or served was not recorded on the tag or label, shellstock tags not being kept with shellstock before they are finished, observed multiple food items in the 2 door cooler above 41 deg F: cut watermelon at 47, corned beef meatballs at 50, rice pudding at 51, food containers for cooling food are arranged so as not to allow for maximum heat transfer, certified food manager could not provide a food temperature measuring device, no test kit located in the facility for monitoring the concentration of the chemical sanitizing solutions.

Java Loco: 289 S. Van Dorn St Alexandria, VA 22304

Last inspection: Sept. 28 (routine)

Violations: Food items cold holding at improper temperatures in the 1-door reach in refrigerator: Pooled raw eggs (45°F), turkey (45°F), ham (45°F), cutting board along the prep refrigerator is heavily scratched, less than 10 foot candles of light was noted in the dry storage closet.

CAVA Mezze Grill #10074: 3525 A Richmond Hwy. Alexandria, VA 22305

Last inspection: Sept. 28 (routine)

Violations: Grilled chicken (120°F-134°F) at the back line holding unit hot holding at improper temperatures.