Sitar Indian Restaurant Reopens

Sitar Indian Cuisine on 618 E. Colorado Blvd. is back in business ten days after it was temporarily shuttered by the City of Pasadena Environmental Health Division for having a cockroach infestation.

An inspection report dated June 23rd gave the eatery a score of 55 and detailed how more than 60 live and dead cockroaches were observed in various areas within the facility, and saw how other pests and vermin could enter through gaps in the entry/exit doors and walls.

It also mentioned “10-15 flies on soda boxes” and advised the owner to make the necessary corrections before the restaurant could reopen.

“We had construction going on in the area, so we had a bit of a bug problem, but we’ve taken care of that now,” Sitar manager Arian Shah said in an interview with Pasadena Star News. “We worked 100 percent in cooperation with (the health department) and we were able to reopen after a few days.”

Shah said the restaurant used the time to thoroughly clean the restaurant.

Rachel Janbek, acting manager of the Environmental Health Division, said Sitar was permitted to open again after passing an hour-long inspection. It failed an earlier re-inspection Monday.

It was the second time this year that city health officials shut down the restaurant. Inspectors closed Sitar on January 20 when they also found cockroaches, gnats, and a defective dishwasher. Two days later, the eatery reopened after obtaining a score of 97 during a re-inspection.

Eateries in Pasadena have to maintain a rating of 85 and above to be able to continue serving customers.