SAM'S SUSHI BAR & GRILL
5506 22ND AVE NW, SEATTLE, WA 98107 · Restaurant (Seating 13-50)
Inspection summary
SAM'S SUSHI BAR & GRILL has been inspected 6 times by Public Health – Seattle & King County since April 20, 2023. The most recent inspection, on March 18, 2026, recorded 2 infractions.
None of the 6 inspections on record were free of infractions. In the past 12 months there was 1 inspection with 2 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Protecting food from contamination, Handwashing and staff hygiene and Chemicals and toxic substances.
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 5 times across 5 separate inspections, most recently on September 11, 2025. For example:
3300 - Potential food contamination prevented during delivery, preparation, storage, display
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 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on March 18, 2026. For example:
0600 - Adequate handwashing facilities
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 18, 2026. For example:
2500 - Toxic substances properly identified, stored, used
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 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on February 8, 2024. For example:
3000 - Proper thawing methods used
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 once on February 27, 2025. For example:
4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
About this data
These results come from Public Health – Seattle & King County, 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.
6 inspections
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
2 infractions
- 0600 - Adequate handwashing facilities
- RED
- 2500 - Toxic substances properly identified, stored, used
- RED
- 0600 - Adequate handwashing facilities
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
3 infractions
- 3300 - Potential food contamination prevented during delivery, preparation, storage, display
- BLUE
- 3700 - In-use utensils properly stored
- BLUE
- 2500 - Toxic substances properly identified, stored, used
- RED
- 3300 - Potential food contamination prevented during delivery, preparation, storage, display
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
3 infractions
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
- BLUE
- 3600 - Proper eating, tasting, drinking, or tobacco use
- BLUE
- 1100 - Proper disposition of returned, unsafe, or contaminated food; proper date marking procedures for food at high risk for Listeria
- RED
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
4 infractions
- 3100 - Food properly labeled; proper date marking
- BLUE
- 4300 - Nonfood-contact surfaces maintained and clean
- BLUE
- 3700 - In-use utensils properly stored
- BLUE
- 2300 - Proper consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods
- RED
- 3100 - Food properly labeled; proper date marking
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
4 infractions
- 4300 - Nonfood-contact surfaces maintained and clean
- BLUE
- 3000 - Proper thawing methods used
- BLUE
- 1400 - Raw meats below and away from ready-to-eat food; species separated
- RED
- 0600 - Adequate handwashing facilities
- RED
- 4300 - Nonfood-contact surfaces maintained and clean
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
4 infractions
- 4800 - Physical facilities properly installed, maintained, cleaned; unnecessary persons excluded from establishment
- BLUE
- 1400 - Raw meats below and away from ready-to-eat food; species separated
- RED
- 2200 - Accurate thermometer provided and used to evaluate temperature of TCS foods
- RED
- 1200 - Proper shellstock ID; wild mushroom ID; parasite destruction procedures for fish
- RED
- 4800 - Physical facilities properly installed, maintained, cleaned; unnecessary persons excluded from establishment
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