At a glance
CleanCleaver food safety systematic review results
What happened?
84/ 100 · 16 points taken off
4 problems found · 1 marked critical · Routine county inspection · Aug 11, 2026
Is that a lot?
Most markets and grocery stores here got 2 to 13 points taken off. Cardenas #203 - Grocery got more than most.
Compared with 534 Santa Clara County markets and grocery stores. Each store's last routine inspection counts.
What was found out about Cardenas #203 - Grocery?
It's fair to care about this. Here's what the county found. Tap any item to see how a kitchen fixes it.
- Marked critical: Hot food below 135°F K07How to fixFix it
- Hand sink not ready to use K06How to fixFix it
- Pests seen inside: fruit flies K23How to fixFix it
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
We review Santa Clara County health data to make this report. We are not the County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health.
Visit them directly at deh.santaclaracounty.gov (opens the department's site) · How we review
For Cardenas #203 - Grocery's team
Is this your place?
Welcome, Cardenas #203 - Grocery. We'll walk through this together, one item at a time. To log the fixes, claim Cardenas #203 - Grocery first; we check that you run it.
Your whole team can help. Each person gets one next step, and everyone can see what's done.
This is my place: claim Cardenas #203 - GroceryWe'll help you get every item done. You don't have to do it alone.
We know an inspection can feel heavy, especially when it's busy.
Fix it together
Follow the steps for each item, with the rule beside it.
Next: Hot food below 135°FThe county found: “Various PHF held in display at meat department are not properly iced and measured >41F,>2hrs. [CA] PHFs shall be held…”
First step: If food is out of range
Then the next one: Hand sink not ready to use
Log it
Your team logs the fix on their phones, with the time and who did it.
Show what you did
Saying what you fixed, in your own words, builds trust. Families and regulars respect a kitchen that owns it and fixes it.
Each fix step comes from the rule it names: Food Code 2-301.15, Food Code 6-501.112, Food Code Part 5-5, Food Code 4-603.16.
Try it yourself
Fix and log it: Hot food below 135°F
A practice run. Nothing is saved. Tap each step when it's done.
0 of 3 done
If food is out of range
Logged
That's one done. We'll be here for the next.
What people see now
Today, people see the department's words and nothing from you.
What people see after you fix and log it
Example reply
CleanCleaverBusiness reply
Your business replied to this with the public statement:
We fixed this the same day. Now our team logs it on their phones at open and close.
The date of your reply
This is not an official update to the health inspection report. The county's record is unchanged.
Most kitchens get something cited at some point. What people remember is that you fixed it.
Want to join the restaurants in Santa Clara County that keep their kitchens clean and put their guests' health first?
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Replies are part of a paid plan. We read each one before it goes up. You can take it down any time. Only the department can change its record.
Do you work there, and someone else owns it? I work there
What people see next
Under each item here, people see what you fixed, in your words.
Left alone, or fixed together
Left alone, the same items can come back at the next inspection. Fixed together, they're done.
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Inspections
From County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health · 4 inspections on record · Last checked Oct 6, 2026
The county visited 3 times in the last 12 months (2 routine, 1 follow-up).
Every visit
LatestAug 11, 2026Routine inspection84 out of 100 (Green placard)
This one: 84 out of 100 (Green placard), inspected Aug 11, 2026.
4 violations listed, 1 marked critical.
Critical (1)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
The department's words
K07 Proper hot and cold holding temperatures
Various PHF held in display at meat department are not properly iced and measured >41F,>2hrs. [CA] PHFs shall be held at 41°F or below or at 135°F or above. [SA] PHF was voluntarily condemned and destroyed due to temperature abuse.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Food Code 3-501.16(A)(1)
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
If food is out of range
- Hot food below 135°F for less than 2 hours: reheat to 165°F.
- Cold food above 41°F for less than 2 hours: chill it right away.
- Unknown time or longer: throw it out.
Which foods need temperature control (TCS)
3 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Hot and cold holding
The full guide has 3 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Cardenas #203 - Grocery? Fix it
Not critical (3)
The department's words
K06 Adequate handwash facilities supplied, accessible
Lack of liquid hand cleanser in mens restroom. [CA] Provide handwashing cleanser in dispenser at handwash stations at all times.
Food Code 5-205.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
Hand sinks are for hands only
- Wash only at a handwashing sink.
- Never wash hands in the dish sink, a food prep sink, a mop sink, or a drink cooler.
- Never dump drinks, rinse utensils or fill pitchers at the hand sink.
From Food Code 2-301.15
Soap and hand sanitizer
4 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Handwashing
The full guide has 4 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Cardenas #203 - Grocery? Fix it
Pests seen inside: fruit flies
The department's words
K23 No rodents, insects, birds, or animals
Live gnats found in facility.[CA] Food facility shall be kept free of non-disease carrying insects, weevils, ants, gnats, and fruit flies.
Food Code 6-501.111
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
What to do
- Any sign of mice, rats or roaches: act now. Protect or throw out affected food, clean the area, and call the pest control operator the same day.
- Flies or ants in food areas: act within 24 hours.
- Insects in food: throw that food out and check the stock around it.
From Food Code 6-501.112
What NOT to do
3 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Signs of pests and what to do
The full guide has 3 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Cardenas #203 - Grocery? Fix it
Garbage uncovered or not taken out
The department's words
K42 Garbage & refuse properly disposed; facilities maintained
Dumpsters found open at time of inspection. [CA] Refuse containers shall be covered at all times when not in use.
Food Code 5-501.113
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
Trash cans
- Use lidded, leak-proof cans lined with bags. Keep them away from food and clean dishes.
- Empty them when full and at the end of the day.
- Wash cans outdoors or at the mop sink, never in a food-prep, dish or hand sink. Rinse, sanitize, air-dry, re-line.
- Wash your hands after handling trash.
From Food Code Part 5-5
Keep two separate sets
5 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Restrooms, mops and rags
The full guide has 5 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Cardenas #203 - Grocery? Fix it
EarlierJan 21, 2026Follow-up inspectionGreen placard
No notes were taken, but there was an interaction, likely addressing some or all of the prior report. No inspector comment was found. See the official report (opens the department's site) for more information.
EarlierJan 21, 2026Routine inspectionGreen placard
1 violation listed, 1 marked critical.
Critical (1)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
EarlierJan 22, 2025Routine inspection85 out of 100 (Green placard)
4 violations listed, 1 marked critical.
Critical (1)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right
The department's words
K14 Food contact surfaces clean, sanitized
Employee skips sanitation as the final step in warewashing. [CA] Manual warewashing shall be accomplished by using a three-compartment sink where the utensils are first precleaned, washed with hot soapy water, rinsed with hot water, sanitized with an approved method, and air dried. Use 1 TBS of bleach (5.25%) per 1 gal. of water for chlorine solution (100 PPM). Use 1 tbs of quaternary ammonium (10%) per 2 gal. of water for quaternary ammonium (200 PPM).
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Not critical (3)
Thermometer missing or reading wrong
The department's words
K39 Thermometers provided, accurate
Thermometers missing in hot holding case (rotisserie chicken). [CA] A thermometer +/- 2°F shall be provided and correctly located in each hot and cold holding unit containing potentially hazardous foods.
The department's words
K06 Adequate handwash facilities supplied, accessible
knife stored in basin of hand wash sink. [CA] Handwashing facility shall be clean, unobstructed, and accessible at all times.
Food on the floor or under drips
The department's words
K30 Food storage: food storage containers identified
Raw marinated chicken stored in open bulk container in walk-in.[CA] Store open bulk foods in approved NSF containers with tight fitting lids.
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health. This is the department's data, not CleanCleaver's. See the department's full record (opens the department's site)
What you can do
As a customer of Cardenas #203 - Grocery, you can:
Learn how these get fixed
Free, step-by-step guides for each item.
- Hot food below 135°F Read the free guide
- Hand sink not ready to use Read the free guide
- Pests seen inside: fruit flies Read the free guide
- Garbage uncovered or not taken out Read the free guide
Call Cardenas #203 - Grocery
Ask for the manager. Cardenas #203 - Grocery can only fix what it knows about.
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Complain directly to the health department
We are not the health department. You can report to them on their site. Report to County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (opens the department's site)
When regulars speak up kindly and kitchens fix things, the whole neighborhood eats well. Now you know what the inspector found, and what you can do about it.
Do you work at or run Cardenas #203 - Grocery?
See the plan to fix each item and show what you did.
Address thisAbout this record
Opens the county's own page for this place.
Most people don't know what a normal result looks like for a place that's open every day. The ranges use each place's last routine inspection in this area. No other county is mixed in.
100 means the inspector found no problems. Santa Clara County takes points off for each problem. Big ones take off more.
The county posts a green, yellow or red placard after each inspection, and gives routine inspections a score. In the county's data, a routine inspection with no violations listed scored 100, and the score drops as violations are found. The county's page does not say which scores or findings give each color: ask the department.
- Inspection type
- Routine inspection
- Result
- 84 out of 100 (Green placard)
- Source
- County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
This is not an official ranking or grade. See the official source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (opens the department's site) .
Information on this page may be out of date. Check the original source to confirm.