At a glance
CleanCleaver food safety systematic review results
What happened?
97/ 100 · 3 points taken off
1 problem found · Routine county inspection · Aug 27, 2026
Is that a lot?
Most food places here got 2 to 15 points taken off. Taqueria Vallarta 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 Taqueria Vallarta?
It's fair to care about this. Here's what the county found. Tap any item to see how a kitchen fixes it.
- Cooked food not cooled in time K09How 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 Taqueria Vallarta's team
Is this your place?
Welcome, Taqueria Vallarta. We'll walk through this together, one item at a time. To log the fixes, claim Taqueria Vallarta 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 Taqueria VallartaWe'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: Cooked food not cooled in timeThe county found: “Ribs measured to be 104F in deep metal with small bag of ice on top. Per operator ribs were pulled 1hr and 20min…”
First step: If you miss a stage
Then the next one.
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 4-603.16.
Try it yourself
Fix and log it: Cooked food not cooled in time
A practice run. Nothing is saved. Tap each step when it's done.
0 of 2 done
If you miss a stage
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 · 5 inspections on record · Last checked Oct 6, 2026
The county visited 2 times in the last 12 months (2 routine).
Every visit
LatestAug 27, 2026Routine inspection97 out of 100 (Green placard)
This one: 97 out of 100 (Green placard), inspected Aug 27, 2026.
1 violation listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (1)
Cooked food not cooled in time
The department's words
K09 Proper cooling methods
Ribs measured to be 104F in deep metal with small bag of ice on top. Per operator ribs were pulled 1hr and 20min prior. [CA] Properly cool PHF's using shallow containers, using no more than 2 inches for solid foods and no more than 3 inches for liquids. [COS] Ribs were put into ice bath surrounding entire tray.
Food Code 3-501.14
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
If you miss a stage
- Missed stage 1 (not 70°F by 2 hours): reheat to 165°F and start over, or throw it out.
- Missed stage 2 (not 41°F by 6 hours): throw it out.
How to cool fast
3 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Cooling food in two stages
The full guide has 3 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Taqueria Vallarta? Fix it
EarlierMar 3, 2026Routine inspection98 out of 100 (Green placard)
1 violation listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (1)
Equipment in poor repair
The department's words
K35 Equipment, utensils: Approved, in good repair, adequate capacity
1) 2 door cooler on side observed to have fraying gasket on left handside door. [CA] Repair gasket and maintain in good condition 2) Plastic containers observed to be scratched and starting to be cloudy. [CA] Replace plastic containers and provide durable commercial food grade containers for food.
EarlierOct 21, 2025Routine inspection95 out of 100 (Green placard)
2 violations listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (2)
Utensils or dishes stored wet or unwashed
The department's words
K36 Equipment, utensils, linens: Proper storage and use
Plastic spoons stored inside spice containers observed to have handles directly in the herbs and spices. [CA] Store scoops such that handles are not in direct contact with food.
Cooked food not cooled in time
The department's words
K09 Proper cooling methods
Pulled chicken observed to be in large pot inside reach in cooler and measured to be 130F. Per employee chicken was cooked about 45 minutes prior and placed into walk in cooler. [CA] Facility shall cool foods rapidly within 135F to 70F in 2 hours and then 70F to 41F in 4 hours. Facility may spread food out in small containers or shallow containers to rapidly cool food. Facility may use ice wand, an ice bath, or ice as an ingredient to cool down food. [COS] Large pot was placed into prep sink and ice bath was made inside to rapidly cool chicken. Pot shall be stirred frequently to cool PHFs.
EarlierJun 2, 2025Routine inspection95 out of 100 (Green placard)
2 violations listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (2)
Food-contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized right
The department's words
K14 Food contact surfaces clean, sanitized
3-comp sink measured to have 50ppm chlorine in sanitizer compartment. Active warewashing observed at time of inspection. [CA] Maintain chlorine at 100ppm for manual warewashing. Ensure wares maintain contact with contact with sanitizer solution for at least 1 30 seconds. [COS] Employee added more chlorine to sanitizer compartment and and sanitizer measured to be 100ppm.
Utensils or dishes stored wet or unwashed
The department's words
K36 Equipment, utensils, linens: Proper storage and use
Plastic spoons stored inside spice containers observed to have handles directly in the herbs and spices. [CA] Store scoops such that handles are not in direct contact with food.
EarlierOct 30, 2024Routine inspection95 out of 100 (Green placard)
2 violations listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (2)
Thermometer missing or reading wrong
The department's words
K39 Thermometers provided, accurate
Upright cooler in back in missing thermometer. [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
K07 Proper hot and cold holding temperatures
Salsa bar measured to have: -Green sauce at 44F -Chipotle sauce at 43F Salsa bar uses ice bath. [CA] Keep ice baths such that containers of PHFs containers are sufficiently covered with ice water to keep PHFs inside cold. Maintain PHFs at 41F and below for cold holding [COS] More ice was added to ice bath.
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 Taqueria Vallarta, you can:
Learn how these get fixed
Free, step-by-step guides for each item.
- Cooked food not cooled in time Read the free guide
Call Taqueria Vallarta
Ask for the manager. Taqueria Vallarta can only fix what it knows about.
Share this page
Use CleanCleaver at home
Families clean together. Chores and food dates for everyone at home.
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 Taqueria Vallarta?
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
- 97 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.