Bart Bedsole
A popular restaurant at Voyager and Ridgeline in North Colorado Springs was temporarily closed last week due to its violations.
When asked about the reason for the shutdown of Shri Ganesh, a spokesperson with El Paso County Public Health said, “This closure was the result of points from observed violations, many of which were based improper food handling. This can increase the risk and likelihood of foodborne illness occurring.”
Among the findings on Aug. 6:
There was no certified food protection manager on duty
Basic questions about when food was prepared or the required temperatures could not be answered
Some of the food wasn’t marked with a date to show when it was made.
Containers of chicken and lamb were at the wrong temperature
There was no probe thermometer to check food temperatures at the time of the inspection.
When KRDO13 stopped by on Monday, there was a sign that said it was closed for “kitchen remodeling,” but a look inside the windows showed there was clearly no remodeling going on.
Minutes later, the owner arrived and threatened to call the police, but later agreed to take our crew inside and show what he’s done to get back into compliance.
Raj Adhikari, who was not there at the time of the inspection, said in its 10-year history, the restaurant has never failed a health inspection.
“I mean, it was like very surprising,” he said, “It was very… like I lost sleep basically… because I’m always the best and always had a great past. I never had any problem. Nobody got sick ever.”
Adhikari added that all staff members will soon have their food safety certifications, and customers shouldn’t be concerned about eating here.
“We are fixing everything 100%, so they can come and we will serve them professionally and with all the health department’s rules and regulations,” he said.
Shri Ganesh was allowed to reopen on Tuesday.
The EPCPH spokesperson told KRDO13 afterward, “Shri Ganesh was allowed to reopen on August 12 after demonstrating it had met several requirements necessary to reopen, but it still must pass a full re-inspection in the next 5-10 days to get back into good standing.”
It also passed its full re-inspection (separate from the re-opening inspection) on August 26, despite six violations found at that time.
OTHER FAILING SCORES
Juanita’s Best Mexican Food – 2356 S Academy Blvd – 14 violations
Rodolfo’s Mexican Grill – 15932 Jackson Creek Pkwy – 10 violations
Coal Mine Dragon – 1720 W Uintah St – 10 violations
Pikes Poke Bowl – 9290 Highland Rdg Hts – 9 violations
(Previously failed in July with 13 violations)
Marriott Colorado Springs – 5580 Tech Center Dr – 8 violations
Camin Thai Cuisine – 6760 N Academy – 8 violations
(Previously shut down by the health department in March 2025)
HIGH SCORES
McDonald’s – 434 Garden of the Gods
Papa John’s – 3755 Astrozon
Mining Exchange Hotel – 8 S. Nevada Ave
Cerberus Brewing Company – 702 W Colorado Ave
Cerberus is about to celebrate 10 years of offering craft food as well as craft beer.
The food menu far exceeds most other breweries in Colorado Springs, and is complemented by 22 beers and 2 sodas currently on tap, including the popular Elysium Hazy IPA and Drake High End Lager.
Among the most popular menu items is the smoked brisket grilled cheese, featuring house-smoked meat.
“It’s a unique niche to be able to say you do your beer and your food equally well,” says General Manager Melisa LeFebvre.
LeFebvre credits her high score to not only the careful hiring of their executive chef, but also the constant commitment to food safety by his entire staff, as well as head brewer Troy Johnson.
Johnson joked that as a kid, he thought beer was made by a wizard.
It wasn’t until later in life that he learned there were people brewing beer for a living, and credits his consistency, processes, and cleanliness for creating batch after batch of quality beers.
“Good brewers dump bad beer,” he explained, “and I’ve only had to dump a few beers in 17 years, but when you do have one that’s bad, you dump it and move on.”
The restaurant side of Cerberus is inspected by the county, while the brewery side is inspected by the state.
Keep an eye out for the KRDO13 Restaurant Roundup awards to know that the kitchen inside is clean.
To see the full list of restaurants inspected last week, click here.
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