18 RivCo Restaurant Health Closures: Pizza, Coffee Shops, Snack Bars

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County's Health Department inspected, downgraded, or shut down 18 restaurants across the county since mid-March due to immediate health concerns, according to its latest report.

Between March 15 and May 13, health inspectors across the county noted seven restaurants with issues that could seriously sicken restaurantgoers. Primary citations included sewage backups in the bathrooms and kitchen areas, cockroach and rodent infestations and insufficient hot water for hand and dishwashing stations.

Riverside County's food facility inspectors conduct drop-ins on restaurants, bakeries, delis, and bars across the county in regular and unannounced visits. They even stop in at area snack bars at schools and sporting arenas. Everywhere they go, each inspector follows a specific checklist to ensure cleanliness, proper cooling and warming temperatures, and proper hand-washing stations and temperatures. They also know how to look for signs of vermin, from droppings to cockroach body parts.

Their work, following checklists and checking water and refrigeration temperatures, ensures that the food you order at a restaurant will not make you sick.

After each inspection, each restaurant is issued a grade ranging from "A" to "C." For anything under an "A" grade, restaurant owners can attempt to repair the issues before inspectors leave the premises. Owners can close their restaurants for a few hours or a day or two while they fix flagged problems before the next inspection. Otherwise, they must place a sub-par grade on their windows. Still, some issues take longer to resolve, leading to a restaurant's “B” or “C” downgrade or a lengthy closure.

Since mid-March, the following 18 Riverside County restaurants experienced either minor or major violations, according to the most recent 'Food Facility Closures Report’ issued on May 13:

Banning:
GUS JR. #7, located at 3559 W Ramsey Street, closed on May 6 due to a rodent infestation, health inspectors say. Three days later, a reinspection allowed the restaurant to reopen on May 9.

Cathedral City:
Big League Dreams Cathedral City, located at 33700 Date Palm Drive, temporarily closed on May 6 due to a cockroach infestation, inspectors say. The restaurant was able to stem the infestation, and on May 9, it was allowed to reopen.

Coachella:
CARDENAS MARKET #18 - DELI 50037, located at Harrison Street, suffered a sewage overflow on April 29, according to health inspector reports. The deli resolved the plumbing issue one day later and reopened for business on April 30.

La Quinta:
The Bunny Coffee & Tea, located at 79680 Highway 111 Suite 101, was temporarily closed on April 15, when environmental health inspectors found insufficient hot water temperatures affecting proper handwashing and dishwashing. The water temperature issue was repaired by April 16, allowing the restaurant to reopen.

Menifee:
Hana Sushi, located at 30098 Haun Road, Suite 300, was temporarily closed by environmental health inspectors on April 30 due to insufficient hot water. On May 1, the restaurant resolved the water heater issue one day later and was allowed to reopen.

Valley Wide Park & Recreation, located at 30627 Menifee Road, was temporarily shuttered on April 15 when environmental health inspectors noted numerous issues within the snack bar. Upon a reinspection date, the B placard they had been given to display was found inside a drawer, and other items were not addressed, including proper unscented bleach, according to the inspector's reports. It took nearly two weeks for the snack bar to reopen, ensuring that at least one worker had a proper food handler certificate. All issues were addressed by April 23, and the snack bar was allowed to reopen with an A grade placard, now on display.

Moreno Valley:
Luna's Sunday Cafe LLC, located at 22500 Town Circle, Suite 1099, closed on May 7 due to “Plumbing in Disrepair,” according to inspectors. The facility installed a new pressure sprayer with no faucet that could reach all three basins. The manager replaced the part to the satisfaction of environmental health inspectors, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen the same day.

Rally's, located at 12721 Moreno Beach Drive, temporarily closed on May 6 due to a rodent infestation and insufficient hot water. Two days later, on May 8, those issues were resolved, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen.

Murrieta:
Al-Reef Mediterranean Grill, located at 41539 Kalmia Street, Suite 116, was temporarily closed on April 30 due to a rodent infestation, according to environmental health reports. The restaurant addressed the vermin issue and was allowed to reopen with an “A” grade one day later. This was the second time the restaurant had closed due to rodents, the last time occurring from March 19 to 26.

Palm Springs:
The Commissary Kitchen / Coachella Valley Coffee, inside Las Casuelas, located at 3400 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, was temporarily closed on March 27 due to a Rodent Infestation. According to environmental health inspectors, it was allowed to reopen one day later.

Perris:
The Derby Room, Perris, located at 18700 Lake Perris Drive, was shuttered for one day on April 23 due to a Rodent Infestation. The restaurant was allowed to reopen on April 24, when no evidence of rodents was found.

Birrieria el Apatzingan Estilo Michoacan, located at 546 Indian Hills Circle, Suite G, suffered a cockroach infestation on April 22, according to health inspector reports. The restaurant voluntarily closed, engaged an exterminator and was ultimately able to control the infestation and reopen by May 8, according to reports.
Playa Maya, located at 19248 Harvill Avenue, was closed as it was operating without a proper health permit, and without signage on April 9 and 21. The Environmental Health Department has ordered the restaurant closed. There has been no word on whether the owners would attempt to reopen the business, which has not had a proper health permit since it expired on July 31, 2024.

Riverside:
Outpost Pizza, located at 3692 Sunnyside Drive, was temporarily closed on May 2 due to a sewage overflow. Health inspectors described the plumbing problem as “a sewage/ grease back-up.” That issue was resolved, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen, maintaining its “A” grade.

Casa Tacos, located at 6247 Day Street, suffered a fire in its barbecue grill on April 25, according to health inspectors. The fire suppression unit discharged within the facility at that time. Health inspectors worked with the owners to reopen three days later, after the facility's fire suppression system discharged at the cookline. With no structural damage, all food was discarded, all affected areas were cleaned and sanitized, and the fire suppression system was recharged. The facility was allowed to reopen on April 28.

El Fer Bakery, located at 3375 Iowa Avenue Suite H, closed temporarily on April 8 as its plumbing was in disrepair, with dirty mop water remaining in a bucket among other issues. The restaurant resolved the plumbing issues and was allowed to reopen the same day.

Los Tacos Lokos, located at 3411 Van Buren Boulevard, was temporarily shut down by environmental health inspectors on March 28 when it was found operating without a valid health permit. That issue was quickly resolved, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen the same day.

Riverside Little Caesars Pizza, located at 4553 La Sierra Avenue, closed for four days on March 20 due to a sewage overflow on La Sierra Avenue. That sewer repair was completed, and the restaurant was allowed to fully reopen on March 24.

Temecula:
Corner Bakery Cafe, located at 26440 Ynez Road, temporarily closed on May 5 due to insufficient hot water. The owners scheduled a replacement water heater, and the water temperature problem has been resolved, allowing the restaurant to reopen the same day, maintaining its “A” grade.

Burger Lounge, located at 40695 Winchester Road, was temporarily closed on March 31 because its plumbing was in disrepair, with drains not fully draining, according to environmental health inspector reports. Those plumbing issues were resolved, and on April 1, the restaurant was permitted to reopen with an “A” grade.

Patch will continue our monthly Riverside County restaurant reports throughout the year. Let us know if you spy something amiss while you're out and about or if there's a restaurant that deserves a rave review!

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