RESTON, VA — Mouse droppings, improperly stored pesticides, ineffective dishwashing equipment and food stored at unsafe temperatures were among the violations Fairfax County health inspectors reported at Reston food establishments in July.
Public inspection reports show six establishments were cited for one or more violations during visits conducted from July 8 through July 28.
Inspection reports reflect conditions observed at the time of each visit. Many of the violations were corrected while inspectors were present, including the disposal or relocation of food, removal of pesticides and changes to food-handling procedures.
Kalypso's Sports Tavern
1617 Washington Plaza North, Reston, VA 20190
Inspection date: July 8
Inspectors reported mouse droppings on sheet trays and cutting boards in storage. The restaurant's rear kitchen door was open, and a temporary screen door left large gaps above and below it. Staff were directed to wash, rinse and sanitize the affected equipment, and the door was closed. The pest-control finding was a repeat violation.
Inspectors also found raw beef stored above ricotta and cooked chicken and raw fish above cream cheese. Staff began rearranging the food. Coleslaw registered at 53 degrees, while cheese, tzatziki, butter, canned crab and blue cheese ranged from 44 to 49 degrees; those foods were discarded. Staff also discarded moldy mascarpone, Greek chicken and spinach dip that had been held beyond the allowed period. Oysters stored without an identifying shellstock tag were discarded.
Inspectors cited unnecessary items in a rear hallway, including soil, a pressure washer and kegs, as a repeat violation that could create pest-harboring conditions. Six pieces of equipment, including several coolers and the dish machine, were reported in poor repair. A service technician was called.
Mezeh Mediterranean Grill
12120 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA 20190
Inspection date: July 22
The dishwashing machine produced a chlorine sanitizer reading of 0 parts per million, meaning dishes were not being properly sanitized. The person in charge stopped using the machine, set up the three-compartment sink and properly sanitized the dishes. A technician was contacted.
Inspectors also found cooked white rice that had been held for one hour at 116 to 118 degrees, below the required 135 degrees. The rice was reheated to 165 degrees and moved to another hot-holding unit.
The restaurant could not provide certification for a certified food protection manager. Ladles were stored in 84-degree water at the cooking line; they were removed, cleaned and sanitized. A hot-holding cabinet was operating at 119 degrees, but its setting was adjusted and its temperature reached 158 degrees during the inspection.
Nash & Smashed
1675 Reston Parkway, Suite N, Reston, VA 20190
Inspection date: July 27
The restaurant could not initially produce an employee health policy. The inspector provided an illness-reporting agreement, which employees present during the visit read and signed.
Raw ground beef was stored above prepared sauces, and raw eggs were above lettuce. Staff moved the items to the designated raw-meat shelf. Raw chicken registered from 51 to 55 degrees after being moved into a lowboy cooler about two hours earlier; it was returned to the walk-in cooler to cool to 41 degrees. Two containers of butter-based signature sauce, registering 45 and 74 degrees, were discarded. A
An employee handled a sink faucet and chemical containers with gloved hands, then began mixing sauce without washing hands or changing gloves. The employee washed after the inspector intervened. Inspectors also reported that staff lacked training in sanitizing, food temperatures and handwashing; a food thermometer did not work; and no chlorine test kit was initially available. The person in charge brought a test kit during the visit. A certified food manager arrived near the inspection's end.
A dirty wet wiping cloth on a cutting board was discarded, while inspectors also cited food stored on a walk-in floor, fryer oil elevated on beverage crates and bagged ingredients stored beneath an open stairwell. Toilet paper missing from the women's restroom was replaced.
SAAO Thai & Sushi
11730 Plaza America Drive, Suite 105, Reston, VA 20190
Inspection date: July 28
Inspectors found home-use Combat gel bait and Ortho spray in dry storage and behind coolers. The repeat violation was corrected when the person in charge discarded the pesticides. Two containers of the restricted commercial pesticide Shockwave were also stored beneath a sushi-bar hand sink and reportedly applied by an operator who was not certified to do so. Those containers were discarded, and the restaurant was told that only a licensed applicator may perform commercial pest-control work.
The restaurant lacked required records documenting parasite-destruction freezing for tuna, escolar, mackerel, squid, scallop, surf clam, prawn, salmon, flying fish and smelt roe served raw or undercooked. That was also a repeat violation.
Inspectors said the lunch menu lacked a consumer warning for raw fish; the menu was updated during the visit.
White rice in an unplugged cooker registered at 84 degrees, half-and-half ranged from 44 to 48 degrees and cut tofu registered at 49 degrees. All were discarded. Reduced-oxygen-packaged ground tuna was thawing without its packaging being opened, and the inspector discussed proper thawing procedures. A home-style refrigerator could not maintain food at 41 degrees or below, and replacement with commercial refrigeration was ordered.
Inspectors also reported food debris and grease near a grease trap and beneath cooking equipment.
LifeCafe At Life Time Reston
1757 Business Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190
Inspection date: July 28
Half-and-half on the smoothie line registered at 50 degrees and was discarded. The inspector directed staff to fill the milk basin with ice and move the product to a cooler when it was not being used frequently. Paper towels were missing from a handwashing sink near the espresso and coffee machine; they were supplied during the inspection. The establishment also lacked a test kit for measuring quaternary ammonia sanitizer and was directed to purchase one before the follow-up inspection.
Tous Les Jours — Reston Station
1800 Reston Row Plaza, Suite 110, Reston, VA 20190
Inspection date: July 15
Cut honeydew registered at 58 degrees and a ham-and-cheese sandwich at 46 degrees in an open-air cooler. Both were discarded. The cooler itself registered at 46 degrees and could not maintain food at 41 degrees or below. The person in charge called a service technician and was directed not to use the unit for foods requiring temperature control until it was repaired. The restaurant also lacked written procedures for using time instead of temperature to control the safety of coffee creamers, sweet frank rolls and croque monsieur. Inspectors additionally reminded staff to label foods controlled by time with when they were placed out and when they must be discarded.
Restaurant inspections are conducted by Fairfax County public health officials to help ensure compliance with Virginia food safety regulations. Inspection reports reflect conditions observed at the time of the inspection. Many violations are corrected before the inspection concludes and do not necessarily represent ongoing conditions.
This report includes only Reston establishments inspected between July 1 and July 31, 2026, that were cited for one or more health code violations. Establishments with no violations and duplicate inspection reports were omitted.
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