How Grading Works in San Francisco.

Start with the Local Scale

The San Francisco Department of Public Health inspects restaurants, cafés, bars, markets, food trucks and other food businesses, and gives each routine inspection one of three results: Pass, Conditional Pass (violations that need to be corrected and re-checked), or Closure. San Francisco no longer uses numeric scores or letter grades. Violations found are listed with their California Retail Food Code section numbers.

A Score is Not Universal

Never compare results between cities. Some departments add points for violations, others use pass/fail, and a lower score can mean a better result.

Read Beyond the Latest Result

Check the inspection date, each recorded violation, and any follow-up inspection. Closures and re-inspections are labeled in each restaurant’s history.

What's Covered Here

This page covers restaurants and other food-service businesses inspected under San Francisco Department of Public Health, Environmental Health's restaurant program. Small markets, bodegas, and corner stores that sell food are usually inspected under a separate retail food program, which most areas don't publish as open records. If a store you're looking for doesn't turn up in search, that's the most common reason — it may be a real, licensed business that simply isn't part of this particular inspection program.