SAN ANTONIO – A popular San Antonio restaurant was reinspected in Sept. 2024 after inspectors found live pests inside and clean dishes sitting on the floor.
Behind the Kitchen Door is a series where KSAT investigates health inspections of local restaurants.
Blanco Cafe
Blanco Cafe, located at 1720 Blanco Road, was reinspected this month, nearly two weeks after inspectors found several violations at the restaurant.
In August, inspectors gave it an 83 — the restaurant’s worst score in the last five years, according to Metro Health.
“I know,” said Blanco Cafe manager Sylvia Gonzalez. “We were shocked. We were like, ‘What?’ They weren’t ready.”
Inspectors found freshly washed dishes sitting on the floor. Some cooks didn’t have the proper certification.
Near the refrigerator, an inspector saw a hole in the wall with five live pests.
“We just want to see if you guys have gotten pest control out here and gotten that under control,” said KSAT reporter Daniela Ibarra.
KSAT checked back in with Blanco Cafe.
Gonzalez showed KSAT a copy of a pest control receipt, showing they came by the day after the original inspection.
She said the certifications have been updated, and a dish cart has been purchased.
“We did everything we had to do,” Gonzalez said. “Everything we did on that same day.”
“What would you tell customers who might be nervous to eat here?” KSAT asked Gonzalez.
“If they asked me, I’ll tell them, you know, I mean, it’s nothing bad,” Gonzalez said.
“You say nothing bad, but it says that there were several pests found near a fridge,” KSAT responded. “There were sticky traps with dead pests.”
“Well, yeah, but we have them outside,” said Gonzalez. “We always have them outside, but they weren’t inside the restaurant. They were outside.”
Beer King
The convenience store, located at 3703 Blanco Road, also had to be reinspected.
An inspector noted they saw two live pests — one on the ice machine and another in the sanitized compartment of a sink.
Seven pest droppings were spotted in the cabinets below the soda machine, according to the inspection report.
J’Anthony’s Seafood Cafe
Metro Health flagged two repeat violations during an Aug. 2024 inspection at J’Anthony’s Seafood Cafe, located at 7210 Northwest Loop 410.
Food handler certifications were not able to be processed during the inspection. There also weren’t any test strips for the dishwasher, the report stated.
Underneath the cook line, inspectors found a few dead roaches.
An inspector also “observed (an) infestation-like amount of gnats.”
Score Guide
100-90 = A (Very Good to Acceptable)
89-80 = B (Acceptable to Marginal)
79 or lower = C (Marginal to Poor)
You can catch Daniela’s BKD reports Thursdays on the Nightbeat.
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