Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba
Last inspected: Mar 3, 2026
70
Score
The health department has logged eight inspections at Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba, the earliest from 2022. The most recent report on file is from Mar 3, 2026. A medium risk rating points to a few notable findings at the last inspection, though nothing severe.
The trend has been favorable: violation counts have eased from around six violations to closer to two violations per visit over the last few inspections.
“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated” comes up most often, recorded two times in the inspection record.
Restaurants in St. Augustine average 81, so Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba trails the local norm. The full record sits in fairly typical territory for a working restaurant.
8
Inspections
2
Critical latest
0
Major latest
1
Minor latest
Inspection History
Mar 3, 2026
Routine - Food
2 critical violations. 1 minor violation.
View 3 violations
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. tapioca pearls (86F - Hot Holding) in warming unit at front counter, per manager they thought pearls where ok to sit out for 6 hours, inspector reviewed time control procedures with operator and operator placed pearls on time control. **Corrective Action Taken**
03B-01-6
High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Raw chicken egg rolls, removed from original packaging, stored over bags of fries in standing reach in freezer in kitchen.
08A-05-6
Basic - Food stored on floor. Cooking oil in kitchen, oil moved **Corrected On-Site**
08B-38-4
70
Jul 15, 2025
Food-Licensing Inspection
2 minor violations.
View 2 violations
Basic - Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin. Interior of large ice machine in back prep area.
22-20-5
Basic - Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Gaskets of reach in cooler under front counter.
23-03-4
90
Feb 6, 2025
Routine - Food
2 minor violations.
View 2 violations
Basic - Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Around drain under triple sink in prep area. Under cooking equipment on cook line. **Repeat Violation**
36-73-4
Basic - Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Rack inside cooler at front counter.
22-16-4
90
Jul 29, 2024
Routine - Food
2 critical violations. 3 major violations. 2 minor violations.
View 7 violations
Certified Food Manager Identification
FL-02
Employee Health Policies Present
FL-03
Hands Clean and Properly Washed
FL-08
Potentially Hazardous Food Held at Proper Temperature
FL-16
Food Contact Surfaces Clean and Sanitized
FL-22
Approved Thawing Methods Used
FL-31
Lighting Adequate; Required Shields in Place
FL-36
50
Jan 18, 2024
Routine - Food
1 critical violation. 4 major violations.
View 5 violations
High Priority - Toxic substance/chemical improperly stored. 3 chemical spray bottles stored with coffee filters in cabinet at front counter, bottles removed. **Corrected On-Site**
41-10-4
Intermediate - No written procedures available for use of time as a public health control to hold time/temperature control for safety food. Establishment holds tapioca pearls on time control at the front counter, but does not have any written procedures, operator filled out procedures during inspection. **Corrected On-Site**
03F-10-5
Intermediate - Paper towel dispenser at handwash sink not working/unable to dispense paper towels. In both men and women's bathrooms.
31B-05-4
Intermediate - Soap dispenser at handwash sink not working/unable to dispense soap. At hand wash station on cook line. At hand wash station next to large triple sink in back of kitchen.
31B-06-4
Intermediate - Spray bottle containing toxic substance not labeled. Spray bottle with yellow liquid under hand wash station by triple sink in back of kitchen.
41-17-4
58
Jul 20, 2023
Routine - Food
1 critical violation. 2 major violations. 4 minor violations.
View 7 violations
High Priority - Vacuum breaker missing at mop sink faucet or on fitting/splitter added to mop sink faucet. No vacuum breaker at mop sink after splitter on non chemical side.
29-42-4
Intermediate - Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. White cutting board on flip top reach in cooler with food residue staining.
22-02-4
Intermediate - Operator is not properly tracking/marking the number of days ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety food prepared onsite was held at refrigeration temperatures prior to freezing in order to properly date mark the food when it is thawed and held at refrigeration temperatures again. In the standup reach in cooler in the prep area multiple food items previously frozen and stored with frozen date but no date of when placed back in refrigeration. **Repeat Violation**
02C-04-5
Basic - Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Reach in chest freezer in the prep area, reach in cooler in the cook line area and reach in cooler at the front counter have build up of food debris and mold like substance in the door gaskets.
23-03-4
Basic - Employee personal food not properly identified and segregated from food to be served to the public. Employee personal food stored in the prep area standup reach in cooler not identified as personal food and stored with food for customers. **Repeat Violation**
08B-49-4
Basic - Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable. On the storage shelf adjacent to the three compartment sink, blue cutting board with cutting grooves.
14-09-4
Basic - Wet wiping cloths used for occasional spills on equipment food- and nonfood-contact surfaces not clean. Soiled wet wiping cloth in solution at 0ppm Sink and Surface at the front counter. Operator removed the soiled cloth from the solution and replaced the solution. **Corrected On-Site**
21-09-4
58
Nov 18, 2022
Routine - Food
2 critical violations. 1 major violation. 5 minor violations.
View 8 violations
High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. In the three door reach in cooler, raw chicken stored over wonton wrappers and raw shell eggs stored over prepared tea mixtures. Operator rearranged the storage levels in the cooler. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**
08A-05-6
High Priority - Pesticide/insecticide labeled for household use only present in establishment. Two cans of raid pesticide stored on the floor in the front prep line by the hand wash sink.
41-05-4
Intermediate - Operator is not properly tracking/marking the number of days ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety food prepared onsite was held at refrigeration temperatures prior to freezing in order to properly date mark the food when it is thawed and held at refrigeration temperatures again. In the three door reach in cooler, container of chicken marked 10/31, container of beef marked 10/30. Both previously frozen and not date marked with dates thawed under refrigeration. Operator date marked the containers with the proper date of thawing. **Corrected On-Site**
02C-04-5
Basic - Employee personal food not properly identified and segregated from food to be served to the public. In the two three door reach in cooler, employee personal pan of lasagna stored over unwashed produce.
08B-49-4
Basic - Food stored on floor. In the back storage room, container of soy sauce stored on the floor, in the front prep line cans of evaporated milk stored on the floor. Operator relocated the items from the floor. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation**
08B-38-4
Basic - In-use utensil in non-time/temperature control for safety food not stored with handle above top of food within a closed container. In the bulk container of uncooked rice, scoop handle in contact with the rice.
10-01-5
Basic - Old labels stuck to food containers after cleaning. On the storage shelf over the three compartment sink in the front line area, old stickers on clean containers. **Repeat Violation**
16-46-4
Basic - Single-service articles improperly stored. At the entrance to the main counter single service cups containers stored on the floor. **Repeat Violation**
25-05-4
52
Sep 12, 2022
Routine - Food
No violations found.
100
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba last inspected?
The most recent health inspection at Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba on file is from Mar 3, 2026. The public record contains eight inspections in total.
What is the most common violation at Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba?
Across the inspection record, “raw animal food stored over/not properly separated” has been cited two times, more than any other issue at Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba.
How does Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba compare to other restaurants in St. Augustine?
Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba most recently scored 70 out of 100, which is lower than the St. Augustine average of 81.
Has Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba's inspection record improved over time?
Yes. Recent inspections at Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba have averaged around two violations per visit, down from roughly six earlier in the record.
What does a medium risk rating mean?
A medium risk rating at Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba means the most recent inspection turned up a handful of issues that the health department wrote up but did not classify as critical.
How often is Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba inspected?
Based on the inspection history on file, Zen & Ginger Cafe & Boba is inspected around two times per year on average.
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