Doors Taco Joint & Metal Bar
56 Hess St S, Hamilton ON L8P 3N3 · Restaurant
Inspection summary
Doors Taco Joint & Metal Bar has been inspected 9 times by City of Hamilton Public Health Services since March 15, 2023. The most recent inspection, on July 29, 2026, found no infractions.
2 of 9 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there were 3 inspections with 5 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Protecting food from contamination, Food temperature control and Handwashing and staff hygiene.
Recent inspections have recorded fewer infractions than earlier ones, so the record is improving.
What these findings mean
Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.
Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk
This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.
Recorded 6 times across 4 separate inspections, most recently on September 5, 2024. For example:
Food in storage protected from contamination
Food temperature controlHigher risk
Bacteria multiply fastest between about 4 °C and 60 °C (40 °F to 140 °F). Inspectors check that cold food stays cold, hot food stays hot, cooked food is cooled quickly, and that staff have accurate thermometers. Temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning, so these are treated as critical findings.
Recorded 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on July 24, 2026. For example:
Mechanical dishwashing: Wash / rinse water clean, water temperature, timing cycles, sanitizer
Handwashing and staff hygieneHigher risk
Hands are the main way germs like norovirus move from people to food. Inspectors look for stocked, accessible handwashing sinks, staff washing hands when required, hair restraints, and sick employees being kept away from food. Gaps here can spread illness quickly.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on July 24, 2026. For example:
Hand washing basin with supplies of soap and paper towels in dispensers
Chemicals and toxic substancesHigher risk
Cleaning products, sanitizers and pesticides must be labelled and stored away from food and food-contact surfaces. Inspectors flag chemicals that could end up in food, as well as pest treatments applied without proper supervision.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on March 10, 2025. For example:
Toxic or poisonous substances required for maintenance in food premises are stored and handled as prescribed in the regulation
Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk
Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on September 5, 2024. For example:
Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed
About this data
These results come from City of Hamilton Public Health Services, which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.
9 inspections
- Routine Inspection
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection
4 infractions
- Hand washing basin with supplies of soap and paper towels in dispensers
- Furniture, equipment and appliances in food handling and storage rooms arranged and constructed to permit a clean and sanitary environment
- Remove all materials not associated with the daily operation of the premises
- Mechanical dishwashing: Wash / rinse water clean, water temperature, timing cycles, sanitizer
- Chlorine sanitizer concentration must be at least 100 parts per million at 24°C or greater for at least 45 seconds
- Maintenance of sanitary facilities
- Maintain sanitary facility clean and in good repair
- Routine Inspection
1 infraction
- Hand washing basin with supplies of soap and paper towels in dispensers
- Provide hot and cold running water for hand washing in food preparation area
- Provide paper towels in a dispenser at hand basin in food preparation area
- Provide soap in a dispenser at hand basin in the food preparation area
- Hand washing basin with supplies of soap and paper towels in dispensers
- Routine Inspection
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection
1 infraction
- Toxic or poisonous substances required for maintenance in food premises are stored and handled as prescribed in the regulation
- Store toxic/poisonous substances in container bearing identifying labels
- Toxic or poisonous substances required for maintenance in food premises are stored and handled as prescribed in the regulation
- Routine Inspection
5 infractions
- Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed
- Ensure equipment, utensils and or multi-service articles are cleaned and sanitized
- Food premise is protected against the entry and harbouring of pests
- Evidence of minor insect / rodent activity
- Toxic or poisonous substances required for maintenance in food premises are stored and handled as prescribed in the regulation
- Store toxic/poisonous substances in container bearing identifying labels
- Refrigeration and hot-holding equipment maintained
- Provide easily readable thermometer in refrigeration or hot-holding equipment
- Food in storage protected from contamination
- Ensure racks, shelves or pallets are clean and designed to protect against contamination
- Equipment, utensils, multi-service articles and all food contact surfaces are properly constructed
- Routine Inspection
2 infractions
- Maintenance of sanitary facilities
- Equip sanitary facility with single service towels or air dryer
- Food in storage protected from contamination
- Ensure racks, shelves or pallets are clean and designed to protect against contamination
- Maintenance of sanitary facilities
- Routine Inspection
5 infractions
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Change sanitizing solution for wiping cloths at a minimum of every 2 hours, or as often as necessary, to maintain the solution clean and sanitary at all times
- Ensure wiping cloths are kept in a sanitizing solution when not in use
- Testing reagent used to determine concentration of sanitizer
- Food in storage protected from contamination
- Certified food handler present in the food service premise
- Ensure certified food handler or supervisor is present during all hours of operation
- Routine Inspection
5 infractions
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Cleaning required around, under, and behind kitchen equipment, counters, and baseboards
- Ensure ceilings are kept clean and in good repair
- Ensure floors are kept clean and in good repair
- Ensure floors, walls, and ceilings are tight, smooth, and non-absorbent
- Ensure walls are kept clean and in good repair
- Furniture, equipment and appliances in food handling and storage rooms arranged and constructed to permit a clean and sanitary environment
- Remove all materials not associated with the daily operation of the premises
- Food premise is protected against the entry and harbouring of pests
- Provide tightly sealed entrances and / or screened entrances to prevent the entry of insects, birds, rodents, and other pests
- Mechanical dishwashing: Wash / rinse water clean, water temperature, timing cycles, sanitizer
- Food in storage protected from contamination
- Ensure racks, shelves or pallets are clean and designed to protect against contamination
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
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