Health department shuts down Lexington Mexican restaurant for alleged rodent evidence

A local health department shut down a Lexington Mexican restaurant after inspectors found what officials described as evidence of rodents at the business, WKYT reported on Oct. 16, 2026.

The restaurant was identified as 1030 South Broadway Jalapeno’s, a location operating at 1030 South Broadway in Lexington, where the health department ordered the closure following the inspection findings.

According to WKYT, the closure was based on “evidence of rodents,” a violation that typically triggers immediate corrective actions because of potential health risks tied to pest contamination and sanitation failures.

The report did not provide additional details about the size of the operation, the number of pest sightings, or when the inspection occurred, beyond the department’s decision to close the site following the findings.

The closure means the restaurant’s customers may not be able to dine or receive food service from that address until the business addresses the cited conditions and the health department clears the location to reopen, WKYT said.

If the restaurant seeks to reopen, it generally would need to comply with sanitation and pest-control requirements and demonstrate corrective actions to the health department, according to how such enforcement actions are commonly handled by local regulators.

WKYT’s report did not indicate whether the business planned to appeal the order or whether any additional citations were issued beyond the rodent evidence cited as the basis for the shutdown.