Restaurant Roundup: Taco Shop goes from perfect score to 13 health violations, Tex-Mex spot tops charts

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A Colorado Springs taco shop that earned a perfect health inspection score last year is now working to correct more than a dozen violations after its most recent inspection.

Taco Express cited for 13 violations

The Taco Express on Voyager Parkway received a perfect score during its health inspection in February 2025. However, its latest inspection resulted in 13 violations.

According to the inspection report, health officials observed several food safety concerns, including:

• Fresh cilantro being stored in a handwashing sink
• Raw meat stored above vegetables, creating a risk of cross-contamination
• Raw meat thawing on a countertop instead of in a temperature-controlled environment
• Cutting boards only being sanitized once per day

A manager at the restaurant said the owner was out of town during the inspection and that the employee overseeing operations was managing the restaurant for the first time.

The manager said the restaurant has since increased employee training and is working to address the issues.

"There's nothing to be afraid of or concerned. Our past customers have always seen how clean we are," she assured. "We always try to keep everything clean, everything organized and we already spoke to our workers so everything is going to be good."

Taco Express is awaiting a follow-up inspection.

Restaurants earning high scores

Several other Colorado Springs restaurants received top health inspection scores, including:

• Chick-fil-A on Garden of the Gods Road
• Cleats Bar on Rockrimmon Boulevard

Chuy's earns a perfect score

Chuy's, located near Briargate and Chapel Hills Drive, also received a perfect health inspection score.

Known for its generous portions of Tex-Mex favorites, the restaurant pairs its menu with a strong emphasis on cleanliness and food safety. Even small details, such as individually sanitized silverware, reflect that commitment.

Kitchen Manager Laura King said the restaurant's consistent staff plays a major role in maintaining high standards.

"My team's amazing," she gushed. "Whenever you have that consistency, it's really easy to kind of build a good routine and make sure that everything's perfect and clean."

Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards at your favorite spots to know the kitchen inside is clean!

Reminder: all of our high and low-scoring restaurants are based on routine health inspections conducted by the El Paso County Health Department.

Click here for a look at all the most recent health inspection scores.

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