SIMPLY SOULFUL CAFE & ESPRESSO
2909 B E MADISON ST, SEATTLE, WA 98112 · Restaurant (Seating 0-12)
Inspection summary
SIMPLY SOULFUL CAFE & ESPRESSO has been inspected 19 times by Public Health – Seattle & King County since August 22, 2014. The most recent inspection, on July 1, 2026, recorded 1 infraction.
9 of 19 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there were 2 inspections with 1 infraction recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Food temperature control, Handwashing and staff hygiene and Cleaning and sanitizing.
The number of infractions per inspection has stayed roughly the same over time.
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.
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 6 times across 6 separate inspections, most recently on July 24, 2024. For example:
1600 - Proper cooling procedure
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 2 separate inspections, most recently on February 12, 2015. For example:
0400 - Hands washed as required
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 July 24, 2024. For example:
3400 - Wiping cloths properly used, stored; sanitizer concentration
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 once on February 10, 2015. For example:
3300 - Potential food contamination prevented during delivery, preparation, storage, display
Food safety training and certificationLower risk
Most jurisdictions require a certified food handler or manager on site, and some require allergen or food-worker training. These findings mean the paperwork or the trained person was missing at the time. They do not by themselves mean food was handled unsafely.
Recorded 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on July 1, 2026. For example:
0200 - Food Worker Cards current for all food workers; new food workers trained
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.
19 inspections
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 0200 - Food Worker Cards current for all food workers; new food workers trained
- RED
- 0200 - Food Worker Cards current for all food workers; new food workers trained
- Educational Inspection
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 5000 - Posting of permit; mobile establishment name easily visible
- BLUE
- 5000 - Posting of permit; mobile establishment name easily visible
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 0100 - PIC present, demonstrates knowledge and performs duties to maintain AMC; certified manager on staff unless exempt
- RED
- 0100 - PIC present, demonstrates knowledge and performs duties to maintain AMC; certified manager on staff unless exempt
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
3 infractions
- 3400 - Wiping cloths properly used, stored; sanitizer concentration
- BLUE
- 0100 - PIC present, demonstrates knowledge and performs duties to maintain AMC; certified manager on staff unless exempt
- RED
- 1600 - Proper cooling procedure
- RED
- 3400 - Wiping cloths properly used, stored; sanitizer concentration
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed,...
- BLUE
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed,...
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 3000 - Proper thawing methods used
- BLUE
- 3000 - Proper thawing methods used
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 2120 - Proper cold holding temperatures ( 42° F to 45° F)
- RED
- 2120 - Proper cold holding temperatures ( 42° F to 45° F)
- Return Inspection
1 infraction
- 2110 - Proper cold holding temperatures (greater than 45° F)
- RED
- 2110 - Proper cold holding temperatures (greater than 45° F)
- Return Inspection
2 infractions
- 0400 - Hands washed as required
- RED
- 2110 - Proper cold holding temperatures (greater than 45° F)
- RED
- 0400 - Hands washed as required
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
4 infractions
- 3300 - Potential food contamination prevented during delivery, preparation, storage, display
- BLUE
- 0600 - Adequate handwashing facilities
- RED
- 2110 - Proper cold holding temperatures (greater than 45° F)
- RED
- 0400 - Hands washed as required
- RED
- 3300 - Potential food contamination prevented during delivery, preparation, storage, display
- Consultation/Education - Field
0 infractions
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