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Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) has issued a red “closed” placard to Pancho & Lefty’s Cantina & Restaurante, located at 75-5725 Aliʻi Drive in Kailua-Kona. The establishment was immediately shut down on August 7, 2025, after a routine inspection revealed multiple critical food safety violations.
The restaurant, operated by Kailua-Kona Restaurants Inc., must remain closed until all violations are resolved and the DOH has conducted a follow-up inspection.
During the inspection, a health department inspector observed the following violations:
- Live and dead cockroaches on food-contact surfaces, in ready-to-eat foods, and in kitchen and food storage areas.
- Equipment, food-contact surfaces, and utensils were not clean to sight and touch.
- The physical facilities were neither maintained nor cleaned.
- A handwashing sink was obstructed and not supplied with disposable towels.
- Refrigerated foods were not separated and protected to prevent cross-contamination.
- No Certified Safe Food Handler was on-site during operations.
To reopen, the DOH is requiring the restaurant to take the following corrective actions:
- Discard all contaminated food products.
- Have a professional pest control operator perform service and submit a report to the DOH.
- Complete a deep cleaning and disinfection of all food- and non-food contact surfaces.
- Retrain employees on proper food storage requirements.
- Ensure all handwashing stations are unobstructed and equipped with disposable towels.
- Ensure at least one employee with a valid Safe Food Handler certificate is on duty during operational hours.