‘These ladies been cooking for like 30 years and it’s a language barrier’ Ocha Thai Cuisine and 7-11 Bar

Health inspectors said the restaurant in this week’s Dirty Dining needs a talking to. They’re concerned their history of failing routine health inspections puts the public at risk.

Ocha Thai Cuisine and 7-11 BardThe Thai restaurant is a repeat offender. The good news? This time they don’t have roaches. That’s what shut them down the first time we were there. What’s got health inspectors so worried now?

They found enough problems to give a 37-demerit “C” grade to Ocha Cuisine on Las Vegas Boulevard near Charleston.

Inspectors found employees touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands. There was also food stored on the floor, excessive sticky build-up on soda nozzles and raw meat thawing at room temperature with dirty dishes.

When we paid them a visit, it was deja vu all over again. Manager Larry Xaypanya said much of the problem was due to broken equipment.

Last year, the owner blamed their problems on cultural differences with the way things are done in their kitchen.

Larry said that’s still an issue, “We’re family-owned and it’s kinda hard to tell the family anything, because these ladies been cooking for like 30 years and it’s a language barrier, you know? But now they understand.”