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Restaurant · Minneapolis, MN

Aster Cafe

125 Main St Se

Last inspected Sep 3, 2026 · View Map ↗ · Compare ↗

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Complete
Repeat problemsSerious findings or closures appear in two or more of the last three inspections. Review the dated records below.

The full inspection history

3 inspections

Routine

Sep 3, 2026

Complete

Official score: 94 · Understand this area’s scale

7 recorded violations

minorCode MN Rule 4626.1520ACleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Clean all physical facilities (floors, walls, ceilings). Keep them clean.

Inspector’s notes

Ceiling tiles in kitchen and back prep kitchen contain dust and debris. Caulking at dish machine is blackened with mold. Clean and maintain clean.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0495Cleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Non-food contact surfaces of equipment must be made of materials which are corrosion-resistant, non-absorbent, and smooth. Remove equipment with non-food contact surfaces made of other materials.

Inspector’s notes

Wet wiping cloths are used beneath cutting boards. This is not approved. Provide a non-absorbent cleanable replacement.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.1515Facility maintenance

Official wording

Keep the physical facilities in good repair.

Inspector’s notes

Ceiling tiles are missing in prep kitchen, replace.

In plain English

Floors, walls, ceilings, lighting, ventilation, or garbage areas needed repair or cleaning. These are usually less urgent than food-handling problems but still need to be fixed.

More about building upkeep issues
majorCode MN Rule 4626.0390AFood temperature

Official wording

Use effective cooling methods to cool TCS foods.

Inspector’s notes

Observed foods cooling in small containers tightly wrapped. Confirmed stock time and instructed chef to remove plastic wrap and monitor cooling temperatures.

In plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.

More about food kept at an unsafe temperature
minorCode MCO 204.30AOther

Official wording

Provide containers for food or beverages prepared for takeout or to be eaten immediately. Containers must be reuseable, recyclable or compostable.

Inspector’s notes

Observed black plastic takeout containers. These are not recyclable. Recyclable plastic are numbered 1,2 or 5 and cannot be black. Guidance document provided with report.

In plain English

An issue that does not fit the common categories. Check the official wording for details.

More about other finding
criticalCode MN Rule 4626.0395A2Food temperature

Official wording

Keep all cold TCS foods at 41 degrees F or colder under mechanical refrigeration.

Inspector’s notes

Observed half & half in event bar cooler to be 48F. Instructed management to discard all dairy from this cooler. The only TCS items in the cooler were half & half, keep all TCS items at 41F or below.

In plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.

More about food kept at an unsafe temperature
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0735ABEquipment and utensils

Official wording

All equipment and components must be in good repair. Keep them maintained to manufacturer's specifications.

Inspector’s notes

Event bar cooler is not holding at 41F. Reduce temperature and monitor, repair if needed.

In plain English

Equipment, utensils, thermometers, cutting boards, or single-use items were not in good condition, not the right type, or not stored properly.

More about equipment or utensil issues

Official record from Minneapolis Health Department, Sep 3, 2026 · Original Source

Routine

Sep 4, 2025

Complete

Official score: 98 · Understand this area’s scale

5 recorded violations

minorCode MN Rule 4626.1520ACleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Clean all physical facilities (floors, walls, ceilings). Keep them clean.

Inspector’s notes

Caulking at dish machine is blackened with mold. Ceiling tiles and wall by hot hold/smoker cabinet are stained. Clean and maintain clean.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0450BCDECleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Remove all multi-use equipment, utensils, and food storage containers that are not: • Smooth • Easily cleanable • Durable • Nonabsorbent • In good condition

Inspector’s notes

Observed non-food grade tupperware containers used to store food. Food is in direct contact with the containers. These materials are not designed to hold food and may leech chemicals. They cannot withstand the repeated washing and sanitizing conducted in restaurants. Remove and replace with approved, food safe, containers. Discussed replacement with chef.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0495Cleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Non-food contact surfaces of equipment must be made of materials which are corrosion-resistant, non-absorbent, and smooth. Remove equipment with non-food contact surfaces made of other materials.

Inspector’s notes

Observed wet wiping cloths used to stabilize cutting boards. This is not approved. Used a mat that is non-absorbent and easily cleanable.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
majorCode MN Rule 4626.1445Handwashing

Official wording

Keep at each handwashing sink or group of adjacent handwashing sinks one of: • A supply of disposable towels • A continuous towel system • An approved air temperature hand drying device

Inspector’s notes

Paper towels were not stocked at both kitchen handwash sinks. Towels stocked per inspector request. Make sure that paper towels are stocked when operating.

In plain English

Staff were not washing their hands when required, or a handwashing sink was blocked, missing soap or paper towels, or used for something else. Hands are one of the most common ways germs reach food.

More about handwashing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.1515Facility maintenance

Official wording

Keep the physical facilities in good repair.

Inspector’s notes

Ceiling tiles missing in prep kitchen. Replace.

In plain English

Floors, walls, ceilings, lighting, ventilation, or garbage areas needed repair or cleaning. These are usually less urgent than food-handling problems but still need to be fixed.

More about building upkeep issues

Official record from Minneapolis Health Department, Sep 4, 2025 · Original Source

Routine

Sep 5, 2024

Complete

Official score: 96 · Understand this area’s scale

5 recorded violations

criticalCode MN Rule 4626.0395A2Food temperature

Official wording

Keep all cold TCS foods at 41 degrees F or colder under mechanical refrigeration.

Inspector’s notes

Fried chickpeas are kept at room temperature. Intention is for chickpeas to remain crispy after baking so place them under refrigeration is not a viable option. Discussed how to use time as a control for this. Template provided with report.

In plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.

More about food kept at an unsafe temperature
minorCode MN Rule 4626.1520ACleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Clean all physical facilities (floors, walls, ceilings). Keep them clean.

Inspector’s notes

Caulking at dish machine area is heavily blackened with mold. Clean and sanitize. If mold is unable to be removed during cleaning remove caulking, sanitize an re-caulk.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0380ABCFood temperature

Official wording

Thaw TCS food by one of the following methods: • Inside a refrigerator • Kept completely under running water of 70 degrees F or less. The food must remain at 41 degrees F or less. • In a microwave oven • As part of the cooking process

Inspector’s notes

Observed cooked frozen mushrooms thawing on table. Mushrooms were observed to still be frozen. Discussed approved thawing methods with staff. Staff moved mushrooms to refrigeration to continue thawing. Comply to above rule.

In plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.

More about food kept at an unsafe temperature
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0450BCDECleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Remove all multi-use equipment, utensils, and food storage containers that are not: • Smooth • Easily cleanable • Durable • Nonabsorbent • In good condition

Inspector’s notes

Observed many non-food contact grade Tupperware containers in walk-in cooler. These materials are not designed to be in contact with food and in addition may leach chemicals into food after the repeated washing and sanitizing methods conducted in the restaurant. Discussed with chef. Remove and replace with equipment designed for food contact. Charcuterie boards are wooden and used as a food contact surface. These are not able to be sanitized. Discontinue using as a food contact surface.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0495Cleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Non-food contact surfaces of equipment must be made of materials which are corrosion-resistant, non-absorbent, and smooth. Remove equipment with non-food contact surfaces made of other materials.

Inspector’s notes

Observed cloth towels used beneath cutting boards. Cloth towels are wet, absorbent and at room temperature- this is an ideal mechanism for microbial growth. Discontinue this practice and obtain cutting board stabilizers that meet the above criteria. Discussed options with chef.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems

Official record from Minneapolis Health Department, Sep 5, 2024 · Original Source

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