Behind the Kitchen Door: No hot water forces Indian restaurant on Northwest Side to shut down

Meat thawing in mop sink and live roaches lead to low scores for others

SAN ANTONIO – Meat thawing in a bucket in a mop sink, roaches in the kitchen, and a restaurant forced to close due to no hot water -- those violations led to some low scores for a trio of restaurants.

Spice Fine Indian Cuisine

Spice Fine Indian Cuisine, located in the 3700 block of Loop 410 on the Northwest Side, had a barely passing score of 72.

Patrons may come for the heat from spicy dishes, but the restaurant didn’t have any working hot water when an inspector stopped by last month. For that, the place was temporarily shut down.

The inspector noted the hand washing sink wasn’t working either. There were flies in the kitchen, and chicken thawing on a counter overnight was tested at 70 degrees, way above the required temp of 41.

The city ordered a reinspection of the establishment.

Jim’s Restaurant

Jim’s Restaurant, located in the 6100 block of Loop 1604, earned a 76.

The inspector found four cartons of eggs sitting out next to a grill with no cooling method. They were tested at 77 degrees when they should be at a minimum temperature of 45 degrees.

There was no certified food manager on duty, and there were live roaches spotted in the kitchen and washing area. Leaking sinks needed to be fixed, and so did broken light fixtures and floor tiles.

The restaurant was ordered to undergo a reinspection.

To see more health inspection scores and to go Behind the Kitchen Door, click HERE for our special section.

Fast Trip

Fast Trip in the 8000 block of Jones Maltsberger also earned a 76.

When the inspector stopped by last month, the business didn’t have a valid food permit, and cooked potatoes were seen being stored at room temperature on top of a microwave.

According to the inspector’s report, the “cook advised potatoes are cooked for tacos when ordered.”

Employees were seen thawing out meat in a bucket in the mop sink, and the ice machine was dirty.

The business was also written up for selling bags of ice without the proper permit from the state.

An employee told KSAT reporter Tim Gerber they had corrected the violations. He said they now have a valid food permit and are still waiting on the state to give them a permit to sell bagged ice.

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Score Guide:

  • 100-90 = A (Very Good to Acceptable)
  • 89-80 = B (Acceptable to Marginal)
  • 79 or lower = C (Marginal to Poor)

→Click here to see the database of San Antonio restaurants with perfect scores

Behind the Kitchen Door image. (KSAT)

About the Authors:

Dale Keller is senior news photographer at KSAT-12.