Long‑Standing Mexican Restaurant in San Luis Obispo Cited for Safety Violations

(Note: The information comes from a February 23, 2026, inspection. It does not reflect the establishment’s future condition.)

Taco De Mexico, a popular Mexican restaurant in San Luis Obispo, was cited for multiple safety violations by the County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency Environmental Health Services Division during a routine inspection on February 23, 2026.

The health division found several violations at the establishment and gave it a score of -38, according to the report by the health division.

Taco De Mexico

Taco De Mexico is known for serving pocket-friendly authentic Mexican cuisine and its large portions of burritos, tacos, and other dishes. The popular restaurant offers seating options at its indoor booths and an outdoor patio. Located at 374 Santa Rosa Street, the restaurant can seat 11 to 50 customers. The restaurant is family-friendly and welcomes patrons’ pets as well, according to Yelp.

Safety Violations

Inspectors documented the following major violations during their inspection: 

• Inspectors saw one employee wash hands without soap and another wash for less than 10 seconds. The report states employees must properly wash hands at required times and may not use food prep, warewashing, or service sinks for handwashing.
• Inspectors found no sanitizer bucket set up during food prep, but an employee corrected the issue by preparing one at 100 ppm chlorine. Food-contact surfaces and equipment must be cleaned and sanitized at required times to prevent contamination.
• Inspectors found defrosted fish stored in reduced-oxygen packaging, but an employee corrected the issue by opening the packages. Reduced-oxygen packaging requires an approved HACCP plan.

• Accumulation of grime on the shelving racks in the walk-in cooler, prompting the report to issue a directive to clean non-food contact surfaces in the walk-in cooler.
• Measured the walk-in cooler holding around 43 degrees Fahrenheit. The report asked the restaurant to adjust the cooler to maintain the food temperature at or below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Inspectors observed that CO2 cylinders were not secured to a fixed location and asked the restaurant to secure pressurized cylinders to a fixed location.
• Inspectors noted that wet towels were stored outside of the sanitizer buckets. The report asked the restaurant to ensure that wiping cloths are stored in 100 PPM bleach solution or 200 PPM quat solution between each use. Wiping cloths cannot be stored on food preparation surfaces. The sanitizing solution must be changed every four hours, or sooner if necessary. Wiping cloths used with raw animal food spills should be kept separate, and in another sanitizing solution container, from the wiping cloths used for other uses.

A next routine inspection will be conducted on August 24, 2026.