Restaurant Inspections: Bistro, Mexican, Other Restaurants Checked On

In Virginia, restaurant inspection reports are not quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy-to-see number rating to post in the front window.

With that said, we all want to know how our favorite restaurants stack up on cleanliness and sanitation.

A "critical violation" is one that "poses a direct or immediate threat to the safety of the food being served." Non-critical violations are generally related to cleaning or maintenance.

"Ideally, an operation would have no critical violations, or none which are not corrected immediately and not repeated. In our experience, it is unrealistic to expect that a complex, full-service food operation can routinely avoid any violations," according to the Virginia Department of Health's (VDH) website.

The site continues: "Keep in mind that any inspection report is a 'snapshot' of the day and time of the inspection. On any given day, a restaurant could have fewer or more violations than noted in the report. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term cleanliness of an establishment."

In the past month, the following Falls Church restaurants have been inspected by the VDH. The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

Bistro Vivant, 1394 Chain Bridge Road, July 3

5 critical violations; 4 corrected during inspection. See the full report here.

J Gilberts, 6930 Old Dominion Drive, July 2

4 critical violations; 3 corrected during inspection. See the full report here.

Spring Hill Carry Out, 1038 Spring Hill Road, July 2

2 critical, 2 non-critical violations; 1 corrected during inspection. See the full report here.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 2918 Chain Bridge Road, July 1

2 critical, 5 non-critical violations; 4 corrected during inspection. See the full report here.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, 6707 Old Dominion Drive, July 1

1 critical violation corrected during inspection. See the full report here.

Evo Bistro, 1313 Old Chain Bridge Road, July 1

5 critical violations, all corrected during inspection. See the full report here.

Mylo's Grill, 6238 Old Dominion Drive, July 1

3 critical violations, all corrected during inspection. See the full report here.