These are Olympia’s top restaurants, but some have had health violations. Check them out here
If you’re interested in trying out a new restaurant in the Olympia area but aren’t sure where to go, checking user-reviewed sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp and others can be helpful.
But what about each restaurant’s history of health inspection results? Were they flagged for any red points, the most serious violations, on their last inspection? Or did they get blue points for lesser violations? When was the last time they were inspected?
We took a look at the top restaurants in the Olympia area based on user reviews from multiple popular sites. We’ve included the date of their most recent inspection, violations and any red or blue points.
Many inspection dates on Olympia’s most popular restaurants are not very recent, in large part due to the pandemic. However, inspections have resumed on a regular basis, and The Olympian publishes the most recent restaurant inspection results as they are made available, approximately twice a month.
You can also check a specific restaurant by name from the drop-down menu on inspection results maintained by Thurston County.
Following are Yelp rankings for highest-rated, as well as most-reviewed and most recommended listings, curated with some of the top picks and recommendations from travel websites like TripAdvisor and through a targeted search on Google. We’ve cross-referenced multiple Olympia restaurant recommendations through these lists to create the list below.
Restaurant complaints and feedback can be reported directly to the county, or you can call 360-867-2667 with comments or questions.
Olympia restaurants with clean inspections
Several popular restaurants in Olympia that make top 10 review lists, and are recommended by customers online, have no recent health code violations on record. Dates of checks vary widely, and some establishments have not had an inspection for years.
Following are popular and highly-ranked Olympia restaurants that have no current health code violations, and the date of their last inspection:
Inspection year 2019
- Gardner’s Restaurant at 111 W. Thurston Ave. NW was last inspected on March 27.
- Quality Burrito at 213 E. Fourth Ave. was inspected on May 17.
- Basilico Ristorante at 507 Capitol Way S. was inspected on July 30.
Inspection year 2020
- Tacos 2 Hermanos at 3044 Pacific Ave. NE was inspected on June 30.
- Fiesta Taco at 2216 E. Fourth Ave. on July 6.
Inspection year 2021
- Anthony’s Homeport at 704 Columbia St. NW was inspected on Sept. 2.
- Locust Cider and Brewing Co. at 222 N. Capitol Way Suite 111 on Nov. 5.
Inspection year 2022
- Pizzeria La Gitana of Olympia at 518 Capitol Way S. was inspected on Feb. 8.
- 2 Tapatios Mexican Grill at 4542 Martin Way E. had its inspection on Aug. 30.
Olympia restaurant inspections with red or blue violations
Every restaurant that received red or blue violations on a health department inspection is listed below.
Red violations are issues that are most likely to cause food-borne illness, and blue violations are related to the overall cleanliness and establishment’s operating condition.
For those with red points and more recent inspections, we’ve noted some of the details of the most serious citations.
Inspection year 2017
- La Petite Maison at 101 Division St. NW was last inspected on May 24, 2017. It received 40 red points and 10 blue points.
Inspection year 2020
- Andy’s Bistro at 4410 Sixth Ave. SE had its last health inspection on Jan. 29 and got 10 red points.
- New Moon Cooperative Cafe at 113 Fourth Ave. W was last inspected Nov. 6, receiving 25 red points.
Inspection year 2021
- Uptown Grill at 514 Capitol Way S. had an inspection April 27, receiving 15 red points.
- Pithos Gyros at the Olympia Farmers Market, 700 Capitol Way N. #7, had its last health inspection on July 9. It got five red and blue points each.
- The Lemon Grass Restaurant at 212 W. 4th Ave. had a health inspection Aug. 10. It got 70 red points and 10 blue points. The restaurant has been closed since summer 2022 due to staff shortages.
- Budd Bay Café at 525 N. Columbia St. NW was inspected Aug. 30. It received 10 red points.
- FishTale Brew Pub at 422 Legion Way SE was inspected Sept. 2 at got five red points.
- Olympia Baking Co. at 108 SW 22nd Ave. was last inspected Sept. 9. It received 15 red points and five blue points.
- The Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar at 501 Columbia St., Suite B, had its last inspection Oct. 6 and got 10 red points.
- Anthony’s Hearthfire Grill at 1675 Marine Drive NE had an inspection Oct. 19. It received six blue points.
- Row at 208 State Ave. W. had a health inspection Nov. 4 an got five red points.
- Cascadia Grill at 200 4th Ave. W. was inspected Dec. 10. It got 75 red points and three blue points.
Inspection year 2022
- Pelligrino’s Italian Kitchen at 205 Cleveland Ave. SE was last inspected on Jan. 19. It received five red and blue points each.
- Equal Latin Restaurant and Bar at 520 E. 4th Ave. had an inspection Jan. 20, receiving 45 red points and 10 blue points.
- Rush In Alaskan Dumplings at 205 E. 4th Ave. was inspection on Aug. 1. The restaurant got 10 red points and five blue points.
- The Bread Peddler at 222 N. Capitol Way, Suite 102, had its last health inspection Dec. 10 and got red 30 points. It got cited for not properly cooling potatoes and not having an easily-readable thermometer.
Inspection year 2023
- Octapas Cafe at 610 Water St. SW was inspected on Jan. 7, receiving 40 red points for not marking shellfish tags properly, violating food reheating guidelines and not maintaining refrigeration at a cold enough temperature.
- Olympia Oyster House at 320 Fourth Ave. W. had its last health inspection Jan. 26. It received 25 red points and 10 blue points. It got cited for not properly washing fruits and vegetables, shellfish tags weren’t marked properly, food wasn’t cooled to an appropriate temperature, and wiping cloths weren’t adequately used or stored.
- The Lucky Lunchbox at 2822 S. Capitol Blvd. received a health inspection Feb. 6, in which it got 35 red points and five blue points. The restaurant was marked down for not properly cooling food to an appropriate temperature, and ware wash facilities weren’t properly installed or maintained.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
