SF Japanese Restaurant Fails with Equipment & Sanitation Issues

Izakaya Mayumi, a Japanese restaurant located at 2221 Clement Street in San Francisco's Outer Richmond district, failed its health inspection on October 22, 2025, due to multiple equipment and sanitation violations that put customer safety at risk. Inspector Jessica Jang discovered six violations during the routine inspection conducted between 6:05 PM and 7:15 PM, highlighting serious concerns about the restaurant's ability to properly sanitize dishes and maintain safe food handling standards.

Critical Equipment Failures

The most concerning violation discovered during this inspection involved the restaurant's dishwasher, which was not dispensing adequate chlorine sanitizer despite multiple attempts to prime the system. This equipment failure means that dishes, utensils, and other food contact surfaces may not have been properly sanitized, potentially exposing customers to harmful bacteria and pathogens. Health officials note that improper dishwashing can spread dangerous microorganisms like Hepatitis A, which can survive on inadequately sanitized surfaces for weeks. Inspector Jang also found that equipment issues extended beyond the dishwasher. Carbon dioxide tanks underneath a food preparation table were not properly secured to a rigid structure, creating a safety hazard where tanks could topple over and cause injury to staff or damage to food preparation areas. The restaurant was given until October 29, 2025, to correct this violation.

Unsanitary Food Preparation Conditions

Perhaps most shocking to customers would be the discovery of flattened cardboard being used as mats at the cook-line and to hold bins for dirty dishes on top of the dishwasher. This improvised solution violates health codes because cardboard is not durable, easy-to-clean, or nonabsorbent - qualities essential for maintaining sanitary food preparation surfaces. The cardboard materials can harbor bacteria and break down under normal kitchen conditions, potentially contaminating food and creating an environment where rodents and cockroaches can find harborage. The inspector also discovered food grime buildup on the FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) walls next to the keg dispensing area, requiring immediate cleaning and sanitization. Additionally, a sanitizer bucket was found blocking the front handwashing sink, preventing proper hand hygiene protocols that are crucial for preventing foodborne illness transmission.

Structural Vulnerabilities

A gap was discovered in the top left corner of the restaurant's back door, creating an entry point for vermin. This structural defect poses ongoing risks as it could allow mice, rats, or insects to enter the food preparation and storage areas. The restaurant has until November 6, 2025, to seal this gap and prevent potential pest infestations.

Restaurant Context and Location

Izakaya Mayumi serves Japanese cuisine in the Outer Richmond neighborhood, conveniently located near the 38 Geary bus line on Clement Street. This was the restaurant's first recorded health inspection, making it impossible to establish patterns of compliance or identify recurring issues. The establishment was not forced to close following the inspection but must address all violations by their specified correction dates. Inspector Jessica Jang can be contacted at (415) 252-3825 or jessica.jang@sfdph.org for questions about the inspection findings. The restaurant's person in charge, identified as Hiro, refused to sign the inspection report. Despite these violations, the inspector noted some positive findings: all refrigerators maintained proper temperatures of 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below, hot water of at least 120 degrees was available at all sinks, and no signs of active vermin activity were observed during the inspection.