Squirrel Hill Vietnamese restaurant ordered to close; ‘imminent hazard’ found during inspection

A Vietnamese restaurant in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood was ordered to close by the Allegheny County Health Department.

Tan Lac Vien on Murray Avenue was ordered to close after receiving 15 violations during an inspection on Thursday.

According to an inspection report, one of the violations was considered an imminent hazard. The report states that fluid "from an unknown source" was seeping through the basement walls and onto the food preparation area floor.

Five other violations created a high risk for foodborne illness: food source/condition, cold holding temperatures, employee personal hygiene, cleaning and sanitation, and pest management.

The report further explains that inspectors found a case of daikon radish with rodent droppings on many, if not all, of the individual vegetables, food held at unsafe temperatures in multiple coolers, no employees washing their hands in the kitchen, food contact surfaces covered in dried food residue or contaminated with rodent droppings and live cockroaches in the basement.

Other lower-level violations inspectors flagged include a lack of date marking on prepared food, no soap at a handwashing sink in the kitchen and excessive items in the building that make it difficult to monitor for pest activity.

A re-inspection date has not yet been set.

to see the full report.

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