Behind the Kitchen Door: Flies, stagnant water, moldy ice machine earn 3 restaurants critical health violations

SAN ANTONIO – A popular Mexican restaurant with a list of health violations nearly as long as its menu topped the list of low-scoring restaurants in this week’s Behind the Kitchen Door report.

Health inspectors also made an Asian restaurant toss out spoiled food, and a sea food restaurant was told to make repairs following recent inspections

Dos Julio’s Mexican Restaurant

Dos Julio’s Mexican Restaurant, located in the 2000 block of McCauley Drive, earned a 76 on its most recent inspection in September.

The ice machine was “heavily soiled with black mold like residue,” according to the inspector.

There were “flying pests in the kitchen,” and packaged meats were thawed in buckets instead of under running water or in the fridge.

Employees were observed using a knife to cut and slice an avocado. Then, the worker put the knife away without washing it.

The same knife was also being stored between cooking equipment instead of in a proper storage area.

Other employees were seen preparing ready-to-eat foods with bare hands and no hand washing.

Another worker grabbed a jar of mayonnaise from a cooler and prepared food with her bare hands.

The inspector noted the door and handle of that cooler were “not clean and was sticky with food.”

Three more violations were cited as warnings, and a re-inspection was ordered.

Quik Wok

Quik Wok, located in a gas station in the 500 block of Enrique Barrera Parkway, scored an 81 on its recent inspection.

The inspector said the establishment had a problem with its cold hold unit being too warm. Foods inside were at a temperature of 48-50 degrees when they should be kept at 41 or below.

The prepared foods kept overnight in the refrigerator were “not safe for eating and were discarded.”

Some food equipment was caked with food debris, and the “microwave was dirty.”

Three of the violations were repeats, but employees corrected seven violations during the inspection.

Fred’s Fish Fry

Fred’s Fish Fry in the 1100 block of Cupples earned a respectable 85. Five of their violations were repeats.

The inspector reported there were “drain flies seen near a sink,” and under that sink was “a container with stagnant water.”

The walk-in cooler had “dark debris build up on it and around it.”

One toilet worked, while the other had “dark mold like debris in the bowl.”

Several plumbing fixtures needed to be fixed, and a wall section was missing.

Repairs were ordered, and so was a re-inspection.


Want to know who has good scores and who doesn’t? KSAT 12 has a new tool for that.

Just click this link, and it will take you to a new mapping tool we have showing the recent scores for San Antonio food businesses.

The reports go back six months and are frequently updated.

You can catch Tim’s BKD reports Thursday’s on the Nightbeat.

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About the Authors:

Dale Keller is senior news photographer at KSAT-12.