A Leesburg restaurant was shut down last week when an inspector found live roaches at the front bar.
The inspector found three high priority violations, one intermediate violation and 10 basic violations at Ramshackle Cafe, located at 1317 N. 14th St., on Tuesday, April 1, according to inspection reports on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Roach activity at the front bar was evidenced by four live roaches under a beer keg dispenser and two under a corner of the bar. Other serious concerns included time and temperature control safety issues for the sour cream, cheese and cut lettuce. The restuarant itself had an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license.
The intermediate violation concerned food-contact surfaces soiled with food debris, mold-like substances or slime. Such surfaces were found in the prep cooler, a panini press, Ninja blender bases, a can opener blade and the interior of a nacho warmer.
Basic violations included salsa scoops with no handles, frozen fish thawed before it was ready to be cooked, and a green cutting board with cuts that made it uncleanable. Soiled surfaces included tiles or vents on the ceiling in the kitchen, floors throughout the kitchen and walk-in cooler, the wall behind the cook line, under the grill, and cooler gaskets and fan covers.
The floors were also not maintained to be smooth and durable throughout the kitchen and bar. This issue, along with the time and temperature control, persisted into a follow-up inspection that same day. This violations required further review but were not deemed “an immediate threat to the public.”
The floors were still not fixed during a final inspection on Thursday, April 3. However, the restaurant was given an extension, and it met inspection standards.
An inspector also found violations at the restaurant this past October. The restaurant was sold to a new owner in 2023.
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