Rats, other vermin spark notable restaurant closures by L.A. health department - BERITAJA

Some of L.A.’s about celebrated restaurants, clubs and markets were temporarily closed successful the past period because of citations of vermin infestation.

In April the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cited Dan Tana’s successful West Hollywood, an events room astatine the San Vicente Bungalows, Jitlada successful Thai Town and the rooftop edifice astatine the Peninsula Hotel successful Beverly Hills, temporarily shuttering them and dozens of others until they rectified the infractions.

A reappraisal of L.A. County records by The Times tallied much than 120 vermin citations issued to nutrient accommodation successful the region successful 2026, pinch 67 — the mostly — of these occurring successful April alone.

April’s closures besides included aggregate schoolhouse cafeterias arsenic good arsenic supermarkets and area stores, including Gardena Supermarket, which closed 2 abstracted times for the aforesaid citation.

Vermin citations are communal successful restaurants crossed the country, and the Dept. of Health’s citations are not constricted to the beingness of rodents; the infraction could besides use to cockroaches and flies.

The Department of Health did not respond to petition for remark regarding trends aliases caller increases successful vermin-infestation citations.

In the first fewer days of May, the region besides cited notable operations including personage cook Rick Bayless’ Red O successful Santa Monica connected May 5 and the King Harbor Yacht Club successful Redondo Beach connected May 4.

Earlier successful the year, vermin infestations temporarily closed a edifice wrong the L.A. Zoo, Genghis Cohen, Cole’s successful early February (before its last closure connected March 29), a nutrient antagonistic wrong a 99 Ranch, and aggregate 7-Elevens.

A Burbank edifice proprietor puts his recently updated A wellness inspection people successful the model successful 2023.

(Alisha Jucevic / For The Times)

If a restaurant, market, cafeteria aliases different nutrient vendor’s nationalist wellness licence is suspended for this citation, the business must adjacent for a minimum of 48 hours. During this clip owners and chefs are often recommended to clasp training for staff, arsenic good arsenic consult a pest-control work to “identify imaginable rodent introduction locations, urge effective prevention strategies, and show for rodent activity successful and about the building,” according to a typical for the Department of Health. Once owners aliases managers person addressed the citation, they could petition different inspection and, upon passing, reopen.

According to 2 surveys, calls for (seed) disease power are connected the emergence successful L.A. In October pest-control institution Orkin named Los Angeles the “rattiest city” successful the state by search calls for rodent services “in owner-occupied residences.” Then, successful April, user reappraisal tract Yelp released an index that named the apical 20 cities searching for these services connected the platform. Los Angeles classed No. 1, followed by San Francisco, conscionable arsenic it did in 2025. Yelp besides published that searches for (seed) disease power person accrued 34% twelvemonth complete year.

“The Golden State’s mild winters and dense municipality environments create year-round conditions for pests to thrive, while outpouring warmth could accelerate breeding cycles and request for master services,” the Yelp scale stated.

Dan Tana’s, a red-sauce West Hollywood institution, closed April 15 to 18 owed to vermin infestation, unclean surfaces, plumbing aliases drainage citations and improper build aliases attraction of walls, floors aliases ceilings, according to the wellness department. Representatives for the edifice could not beryllium reached for comment.

Celebrity-studded backstage members nine the San Vicente Bungalows closed 1 of its West Hollywood kitchens connected April 14 owed to a wellness section citation of vermin infestation and unclean nutrient interaction surfaces.

A typical for the club, which besides operates successful Santa Monica and New York City, said via email that the closure only affected a “separate downstairs arena room that was already closed and nether renewal astatine the time,” and that the club’s superior room passed its inspection that aforesaid time and ne'er closed.

The typical said that the nine remedied the citations wrong 48 hours and passed its adjacent inspection, though the downstairs room remains closed owed to renovations.

Page Six reported that San Vicente Clubs CEO Jess Wilner wrote an soul missive regarding a photograph of “a dormant rat wrong a sealed vessel successful the worker locker room,” which she reportedly wrote seemed for illustration “a deliberate and malicious act.” Page Six besides reported that the nine is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who “rats out” the personification who placed the rat successful the container.

The typical for San Vicente Bungalows declined to corroborate the reward, nor its narration to the arena kitchen’s health-department citations, citing an ongoing soul reappraisal and information matters.

Jitlada, a decades-old benchmark for Thai cuisine successful L.A. and an L.A. Times Hall of Fame restaurant, closed April 30 owed to citations related to vermin, unclean surfaces and approved food-thawing methods. The edifice instantly resolved its citations and reopened May 2.

“We return wellness and information highly earnestly and person already implemented further preventative measures,” a typical wrote via nonstop message.

Guests bask drinks astatine Meymuni Cafe successful March.

(Stella Kalinina / For The Times)

The past month’s closures besides affected immoderate of L.A.’s notable newer restaurants, including buzzy Lincoln Heights vino barroom Zizou and Sawtelle Persian cafe Meymuni, the second of which regularly hosts community events for the Persian and broader-Iranian diaspora. Meymuni Cafe proprietor Shaheen Ferdowsi wrote successful a nonstop connection that he hopes to usage the impermanent closure arsenic a caller start.

“Honestly pinch everything happening successful Iran this past year, holding abstraction for our organization has felt much important than ever,” Ferdowsi wrote. “We’re utilizing this infinitesimal arsenic a afloat reset — caller equipment, an interior redesign, a refreshed paper — and we’re putting everything into the expansive reopening first week of July fresh to beryllium that spot again.”

An ongoing database of the Department of Health’s citations and closures could beryllium recovered here.