Restaurant Inspections: No Violations Since 2011 At This Vienna Spot

Health Department restaurant inspection reports aren't quite as simple as getting a letter grade or an easy-to-see number rating to post in the front window.

In Fairfax County, inspectors from the Virginia Department of Health grade restaurants based on critical and non-critical violations.

Since our last round-up, the Taco Bell #18563, 8419 Old Courthouse Road was inspected — and given a clean bill of health by the department.

An inspector found no violations in its most recent visit three weeks ago.

The chain appears to have a history of impeccable inspections: It's last violation was a year and a half ago in December 2011, when an inspector reported the shop's ammonium compound sanitizing solution wasn't properly mixed.

The full reports can be accessed on the health department's website.

Learn more about the differences between critical and a non-critical violations here, as well as the differences between types of inspections.

"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 Virginia Department of Health's 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."