An East Village eatery in Long Beach was closed for two days last week after a health inspector found unsanitary conditions and a vermin infestation, including witnessing the killing of a cockroach by an employee with his bare hands, according to a city health report.

Rebel Bite, located at 649 East Broadway, was closed on Wednesday, November 11, for being non-compliant with the city’s health and safety code regulations. It reopened on Friday, November 13, according to the city health department’s website.

A health report stated the inspector observed live cockroaches at the cook lines and beer area, a nymph cockroach walking on a customer’s food order, and a dead cockroach in a glass in a beer tap cooler.

The inspector, who also saw fresh mouse droppings around the pizza oven and more than 10 live gnats/flies in the kitchen and beer area, reported the following:

“Observed food employee at cooks line kill a cockroach with his bare hands, then proceeded to prepare food without properly washing his hands. Employee was immediately stopped and required to wash his hands before proceeding.”

Other violations included not having food safety certification, a deteriorated tabletop used to prepare pizza dough, the use of unapproved pesticides, not having adequate, protected, pressurized, potable supply of hot and cold water, inadequately storing food and non-food items, and contaminating the facility with dust and debris due to construction work.

The report noted that some of the violations have been corrected, with the remaining ones expected to be corrected by Wednesday, November 18.

However, an administrative hearing is scheduled on December 1 at the health department after the inspector discovered, during a re-inspection on Thursday, November 12, that the restaurant posted a sign that covered the department’s Notice of Closure sign posted the day prior, according to the department’s Consumer Protection Program supervisor Keith Allen.

Above, left photo by Stephanie Rivera.