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DENVER (KDVR) — Below are some of the restaurants in the city and county of Denver that received the most fines for health violations in 2019:

Pho Le (Now Pho Vietnamese Restaurant) – Fined $3,500

The most-fined restaurant in Denver and previous offender on Restaurant Report Card is Pho Le, which goes by Now Pho Vietnamese Restaurant. Inspectors fined the South Federal Boulevard location $3,500 for repeat temperature violations.

Health department pictures from 2019 inspections show construction inside the restaurant. Reports say employees were preparing and serving food while work on a renovation project was underway. Reports also said inspectors found:

Fire hazard with electrical wires hanging over plumbing

Rodent droppings

Heavy build-up of grease

Health inspectors were back at the location on Federal in mid-February ensuring ongoing compliance.

Cheesecake Factory (16th Street Mall location) – Fined $3,250

The 16th Street Mall location is the second-most fined restaurant in Denver, paying $3,250 in fines. Inspectors were at Cheesecake Factory 10 times last year to ensure compliance. Inspectors found repeat temperature violations and conducted food safety training. Health experts were back two weeks ago and found no mistakes.

Ocean Prime – Fined $1,500

The Larimer Square location rounded out the 10 most-fined restaurants in Denver, paying $1,500 worth of fines. Inspectors found repeat temperature issues. Ocean Prime is at 1465 Larimer St.

California Pizza Kitchen (Cherry Creek location) – Fined $1,500

It’s the same fine and mistakes for California Pizza Kitchen in Cherry Creek. The popular restaurant paid $1,500 in fines and threw out chicken, cheeses and pasta for being held too warm.

An inspector was back at Ocean Prime and California Pizza Kitchen Jan. 30 to check on proper temperature food holding and found both locations meeting code.

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment’s Abby Davidson said, “In general, we have seen great compliance based on someone receiving a fine, then we do not see them repeating the same violation over and over.”

The Problem Solvers are also doing their part with weekly inspection reviews on Restaurant Report Card.

“The investigators do hear, ‘Am I going to be on Restaurant Report Card? If I am, I want it to be the ‘A’ on restaurant report card.’ I definitely think it’s been an incentive for some folks to want to do a good job,” Davidson said.

Denver’s Most-Fined Restaurants of 2019:

Facility Name Address Total Fines ($) PHO LE 1195 S FEDERAL BLVD 3500 DOMO RESTAURANT 1365 N OSAGE ST 3500 LOS MOLCAJETES TAQUERIA 100 N Knox Ct 3500 CHEESECAKE FACTORY, THE 1201 16th St 3250 TAQUERIA LOS GALLITOS 2630 W ALAMEDA AVE 3000 BRAVOS GOURMET 6510 N POPLAR 2750 TAQUERIA 7 SALSAS #2-CLOSED 4460 MORRISON RD 2500 TEXAS DE BRAZIL CHURRASSARIA (C) 8390 E NORTHFIELD BLVD 2500 MOON GATE ASIAN GRILL 745 N QUEBEC ST 2500 PANADERIA/TAQUERIA CONTRERAS (C) 3570 MORRISON RD 2500 ETAI’S 8400 PENA BLVD 2250 DENVER PHO 1 2200 W Alameda Ave 2250 SUNSHINE BOWLS 1623 N SAINT PAUL ST 2250 DENVER POKE COMPANY 1550 Platte St 2000 SAIGON BOWL 333 S Federal Blvd 2000 RODEWAY INN – RFE 3975 PEORIA WAY 2000 TAQUERIA LA BUEN SASON-CLOSED 1800 S Grove St 2000 CALIFORNIA WRAP RUNNER 7608 DANKS DR 2000 LITTLE INDIAS FOOD TRUCK 2390 S DOWNING ST 2000 LA SALVADORENA PUPUSA 1020 S Raritan St 2000 LATINO TACOS 20495 E 47th Ave 2000 LAZO 1319 22ND ST 2000 STEEP-CLOSED 4100 E 8th Ave 2000 CF – ORIGINAL BERRIE KABOB, THE 11933 S Black Horn Cir 2000 SUSHI BAY 1728 E 17th Ave 2000 SPROUTS FARMERS MARKET 3625 E COLFAX AVE 2000 SAFFRON GRILL 898 Kipling St 2000 RICO POLLO III 5195 N FEDERAL BLVD 2000 MINIMOOS AND KIDS TOO GOAT DAIRY 1221 HIGH ST 2000 SUPER CARNICERIA COMPARE 2796 S FEDERAL BLVD 2000 SCOTTIES CATERING 9100 TEJON ST, UNIT 222 2000 POPEYE’S FRIED CHICKEN 2122 E COLFAX AVE 2000 TACOS Y SALSA #2 910 S FEDERAL BLVD 2000 EL ELOTE FELIZ 1020 W 70th Ave 2000 LOVE’S OVEN 225 N Mariposa St 2000 KM CONCESSION INDOOR PORTABLES 1325 E 46TH AVE 2000 KING SOOPERS 2810 N QUEBEC ST 2000 ANTHONY’S PIZZA & PASTA 10890 E DARTMOUTH AVE 2000 WINCHELL’S DONUT HOUSE 6550 E EVANS AVE 2000 EL TACO H 3962 N Jericho St 1750 NEW SAIGON #1 630 S FEDERAL BLVD 1750 ORIGINAL HAMBURGER STAND 1205 N FEDERAL BLVD 1600 NATURAL GROCERS BY VITAMIN COTTAGE 3909 E EVANS AVE 1500 OCEAN PRIME 1465 Larimer St 1500 FRUTERIA & CARNICERIA LA MEXICANA 706 N SHERIDAN BLVD 1500 CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN 3000 E 1ST AVE 1500 BENNY’S CANTINA 301 E 7TH AVE 1500 JUST BE KITCHEN 2364 15TH ST 1500 WOODGRAIN BAGELS 7559 E Academy Blvd 1500 PIG & SPROUT, THE 1900 Chestnut Pl 1500 LESLY’S FRUIT 6725 W MISSISSIPPI AVE 1500 SUBWAY #20418 1512 LARIMER ST 1500

Check your favorite location:

Denver County

Tri-County Health Department

Jefferson County

Weld County

How restaurants appear on our Report Card

Restaurant Report Card features health inspections in the city and county of Denver, Jefferson County, Weld County, Broomfield and restaurants under the jurisdiction of the Tri-County Health Department. The Tri-County Health Department includes Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties.

An inspection is a “snapshot” of what is happening during the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have more or fewer violations than noted in an inspection. Also, at the time of an inspection, violations are recorded and can be corrected prior to the inspector leaving the restaurant. If violations are not corrected, a follow-up inspection is scheduled.

The criteria FOX31 Denver uses to give a restaurant a failing grade includes the evaluation of two unannounced inspections by county health inspectors.

A failing restaurant must have five or four critical violations on their most recent regular inspection and five or four critical violations on the previous regular inspection. The restaurant may also fail for eight or more violations in one inspection. Health inspectors may conduct critical or follow-up inspections, due to the number of critical violations found during a regular inspection. Those inspections may also be considered for our reports.

We recognize restaurants with two regular inspections in a row, with no critical violations, by awarding them an A.