At a glance
CleanCleaver food safety systematic review results
What happened?
89/ 100 · 11 points taken off
2 problems found · 1 marked critical · Routine county inspection · May 12, 2026
Is that a lot?
Most food places here got 2 to 15 points taken off. Chapala Mexican Restaurant got about the same as most.
Compared with 9,600 Santa Clara County food places. Each place's last routine inspection counts.
What was found out about Chapala Mexican Restaurant?
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: Hand sink not ready to use K06How to fixFix it
- Hot food below 135°F K07How 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 Chapala Mexican Restaurant's team
Is this your place?
Welcome, Chapala Mexican Restaurant. We'll walk through this together, one item at a time. To log the fixes, claim Chapala Mexican Restaurant 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 Chapala Mexican RestaurantWe'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: Hand sink not ready to useThe county found: “No paper towels at bar handwash station. Per PIC, they are out of paper towels and are getting a delivery today. [CA]…”
First step: Hand sinks are for hands only
Then the next one: Hot food below 135°F
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 6-501.111, Food Code 4-603.16, Food Code 2-301.14.
Try it yourself
Fix and log it: Hand sink not ready to use
A practice run. Nothing is saved. Tap each step when it's done.
0 of 3 done
Hand sinks are for hands only
From Food Code 2-301.15
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?
Claim Chapala Mexican RestaurantWe'll set it up with you. 25 days free.
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.
Not your place?
CleanCleaver puts these same items on your team's phones, with the rule beside each one. Your binder is ready when the inspector is.
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Inspections
From County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health · 4 inspections on record · Last checked Oct 6, 2026
The county visited once in the last 12 months (1 routine).
Fewer points taken off than last time (35 → 11). That takes a team.
Every visit
LatestMay 12, 2026Routine inspection89 out of 100 (Green placard)
This one: 89 out of 100 (Green placard), inspected May 12, 2026.
2 violations listed, 1 marked critical.
Critical (1)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
The department's words
K06 Adequate handwash facilities supplied, accessible
No paper towels at bar handwash station. Per PIC, they are out of paper towels and are getting a delivery today. [CA] Ensure handwash stations are stocked with soap and paper towels at all times. [SA] Staff will use kitchen handwash station as a suitable alternative until they can get the paper towels delivered.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
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 Chapala Mexican Restaurant? Fix it
Not critical (1)
The department's words
K07 Proper hot and cold holding temperatures
Observed potentially hazardous food that measured in the temperature danger zone located in the larger food prep cold hold unit (tomatoes 48F, cheese 49F). Per staff, the PHFs were loaded into the unit 1 hour prior to the inspection. [CA] Ensure PHFs are properly cold held at 41F or below OR hot held at 135F or above. Repair, adjust or replace units if necessary. [COS] Staff relocated PHFs to walk-in cooler to quickly cool down and will adjust unit to ensure PHFs are properly cold held at 41F or below.
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 Chapala Mexican Restaurant? Fix it
EarlierJun 11, 2025Follow-up inspectionGreen placard
1 violation listed, 1 marked critical.
Critical (1)
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
The department's words
K13 Food in good condition, safe, unadulterated
Observed fly in alcohol bottle. [CA] Ensure food and drinks are unadulterated. [COS] PIC discarded the whole bottle of alcohol.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
EarlierJun 6, 2025Routine inspection65 out of 100 (Yellow placard)
7 violations listed, 3 marked critical.
Critical (3)
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
Chlorine in warewash machine measured at 0ppm. [CA] Ensure chlorine concentration measure at 50ppm. [COS] PIC will have staff manually warewash (first compartment wash with soap and water, second compartment rinse with clean clear water, third compartment sanitize with 100ppm chlorine or 200ppm quat).
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
The department's words
K07 Proper hot and cold holding temperatures
Observed potentially hazardous food that measured in the temperature danger zone located in the food prep cold hold unit (tomatoes 49F-51F, guacamole with tomatoes 51F). Ambient temp of the unit was 46F. [CA] Ensure PHFs are properly cold held at 41F or below OR hot held at 135F or above. Repair, adjust or replace unit if necessary. [COS] PIC will have staff discontinue using that unit until in can properly cold hold.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Marked critical by County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
The department's words
K13 Food in good condition, safe, unadulterated
Observed a fly in an open bottle of alcohol. [CA] Ensure food and drinks are unadulterated. [COS] PIC discarded the bottle of alcohol. Minor: Observed drinks stored in consumable ice. [CA] Discontinue storing drinks in consumable ice. [COS] PIC will discard ice and replace with new ice.
Critical items are the ones most likely to make someone sick. This one comes first. Here's how a kitchen fixes it.
Not critical (4)
The department's words
K05 Hands clean, properly washed; gloves used properly
Observed employee to rinse hands while wearing gloves at the food prep sink. After employee was instructed to remove gloves and wash hands at handwash sink, he did not use soap or paper towels or wash his hands for 20 seconds. [CA] Ensure employees remove gloves before washing hands, and wash for a minimum of 20 seconds with warm soapy water, then dry with paper towel [COS] Had employee properly wash hands.
Food on the floor or under drips
The department's words
K30 Food storage: food storage containers identified
Observed boxes of food such as chips and lettuce stored directly on the floor. [CA] Food shall be stored at least 6 inches above the floor to prevent contamination.
Cooked food not cooled in time
The department's words
K09 Proper cooling methods
Observed potentially hazardous foods located in the walk-in cooler stored in large buckets and containers that had been improperly cooled (rice 50F, beans 47F); both were cooked and cooled yesterday. [CA] Ensure potentially hazardous foods are properly cooled from 135F to 70F within 2 hours and from 70F to 41F within 4 hours. Use rapid cooling methods such as smaller portions, frequent stirring, leaving uncovered, ice bath, ice paddles and/or ice as an ingredient. [COS] PIC had staff voluntarily discard the compromised PHFs.
The department's words
K01 Demonstration of knowledge; food safety certification
FSC not available during time of inspection. [CA] Food facilities that prepare, handle, or serve non-prepackaged potentially hazard foods shall have a valid Food Safety Certificate available for review at all times.
EarlierFeb 4, 2025Routine inspection95 out of 100 (Green placard)
2 violations listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (2)
Cooked food not cooled in time
The department's words
K09 Proper cooling methods
Observed 2 large containers of beans cooling on a food prep surface. [CA] Facilitate rapid cooling by using one or more of the following techniques: smaller portions, 2" inch pans for cooling, frequent stirring, ice baths, ice paddles, ice as an ingredient or a blast chiller.
Raw food not kept apart from ready-to-eat food
The department's words
K27 Food separated and protected
Observed a bottle of stainless steel cleaner on a cutting board adjacent to spilled meat juice. [CA] Clean and sanitize food prep surfaces and keep chemicals separate and away from food prep areas. Observed raw shell eggs stored over ready to eat foods such as avocados and peppers. [CA] All food shall be separated and protected from cross-contamination. Store all raw meat or other raw products of animal origin below ready-to-eat food items.
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 Chapala Mexican Restaurant, you can:
Learn how these get fixed
Free, step-by-step guides for each item.
- Hand sink not ready to use Read the free guide
- Hot food below 135°F Read the free guide
Call Chapala Mexican Restaurant
Ask for the manager. Chapala Mexican Restaurant 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 Chapala Mexican Restaurant?
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
- 89 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.