Lemon Zest Cafe

• gradeGrade B
• inspection score80 pts
• critical violations2
• last inspectedApril 24, 2026
• address74 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre 91024

Is Lemon Zest Cafe clean?

Lemon Zest Cafe is currently Grade B from LA County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health, from an inspection on April 24, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Lemon Zest Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 24, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️FOOD STORAGE; FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS IDENTIFIED
  FOOD STORAGE; FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS IDENTIFIED
• ⚠️WAREWASHING FACILITIES: INSTALLED, MAINTAINED; USED; TEST EQUIPMENT
  WAREWASHING FACILITIES: INSTALLED, MAINTAINED; USED; TEST EQUIPMENT
• ⚠️FLOORS, WALLS AND CEILINGS PROPERLY BUILT, MAINTAINED AND CLEAN
  FLOORS, WALLS AND CEILINGS PROPERLY BUILT, MAINTAINED AND CLEAN
• ⚠️MULTIPLE MAJOR CRITICAL VIOLATIONS / INCREASED RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH
  MULTIPLE MAJOR CRITICAL VIOLATIONS / INCREASED RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH
• ⚠️FOOD CONTACT SURFACES: CLEAN AND SANITIZEDcritical
  FOOD CONTACT SURFACES: CLEAN AND SANITIZED
• ⚠️IMPOUNDMENT/VOLUNTARY CONDEMN AND DISPOSE (VC&D)/SAMPLING
  IMPOUNDMENT/VOLUNTARY CONDEMN AND DISPOSE (VC&D)/SAMPLING
• ⚠️ADEQUATE VENTILATION AND LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS, USE
  ADEQUATE VENTILATION AND LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS, USE
• ⚠️PLUMBING: FIXTURES, BACKFLOW DEVICE, DRAINAGE
  PLUMBING: FIXTURES, BACKFLOW DEVICE, DRAINAGE
• ⚠️PREMISES; PERSONAL/CLEANING ITEMS; VERMIN-PROOFING
  PREMISES; PERSONAL/CLEANING ITEMS; VERMIN-PROOFING
• ⚠️DEMONSTRATION OF KNOWLEDGE
  DEMONSTRATION OF KNOWLEDGE
• ⚠️NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES CLEAN
  NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES CLEAN
• ⚠️FOOD IN GOOD CONDITION, SAFE AND UNADULTERATEDcritical
  FOOD IN GOOD CONDITION, SAFE AND UNADULTERATED

When was Lemon Zest Cafe last inspected?

Lemon Zest Cafe has 3 inspections on record going back to December 28, 2023, averaging 85 points.

Lemon Zest Cafe vs City Of Sierra Madre

City Of Sierra Madre runs 93% clean across 45 tracked restaurants — 42 clean, 3 mid, 0 cooked.

Against the 45 spots Cooked tracks in City Of Sierra Madre, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in City Of Sierra Madre

• A Syndicate
  clean · June 29, 2026
• A 335 Grill
  clean · June 15, 2024
• B Roe Japanese Fusion
  mid · June 29, 2026
• A Savor The Flavor
  clean · April 9, 2026
• A My Friends Cafe
  clean · March 7, 2024
• A K Petrol
  clean · December 4, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in City Of Sierra Madre →

How Los Angeles grades restaurants

Los Angeles County posts a letter placard in the window, and unlike New York the score runs the friendly way: higher is better. 90 to 100 points earns an A, 80 to 89 a B, and anything below that a C. The county inspects roughly every six months to a year depending on risk, and a failed inspection can close a kitchen until it is fixed. Because LA’s scores are final at the time of inspection — there is no pending window — a letter can be read straight off the score when the placard field is blank.

Source: LA County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health via LA County Open Data. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated April 24, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.