Beijing Express, the longtime budget-friendly Chinese takeout spot at 8741 Broadway in La Mesa, has been ordered closed by San Diego County health inspectors over a vermin infestation. The closure became official on May 29, 2026, when a re-inspection confirmed the major vermin violation that first triggered the shutdown the day before — capping a fast-moving, three-day sequence of inspections that knocked one of the neighborhood’s quietly beloved strip-mall favorites off-line.
How It Unfolded
The timeline moved quickly. According to San Diego County environmental health records published at SanDiegoVille, a routine inspection on May 28 flagged two problems — vermin classified as “Major” and wiping cloths out of compliance — and the restaurant was ordered closed. A same-day re-inspection kept the closure in place, and a site investigation that day found no additional violations. When inspectors returned on May 29 for another re-inspection, the major vermin finding still hadn’t cleared, and the closure was confirmed.
In San Diego County’s grading system, “vermin” covers evidence of rodents, insects, or other pests, and it’s the single most common reason restaurants here get shut down. The “Major” designation is the key threshold: a minor vermin notation is a correctable demerit, but a major one — indicating active infestation or significant evidence of pest activity — mandates an immediate closure until the problem is resolved and verified on re-inspection.
A Sudden Fall for a Reliable A-Grade Spot
What makes the closure notable is that Beijing Express wasn’t a chronic problem child. The restaurant carried an “A” grade through its recent inspection history, scoring 92 in May 2025, 92 in September 2025, and 95 in February 2025, per county records compiled by SanDiegoVille. Its prior brushes with vermin had all been logged at the minor level, including a minor notation back in September 2025 that the operator apparently cleared without issue. The jump from a clean A-grade operation to a mandatory closure happened in a single inspection cycle.
The spot has a genuine local following to match those grades. Beijing Express was voted a Nextdoor “Neighborhood Favorite” in 2023, and reviewers across platforms have long praised its generous portions, fast service, and unbeatable prices — with its salt-and-pepper chicken wings earning a near-cult reputation among East County regulars. One longtime customer, writing before the closure, called it “one of the OG Daygo spots” and lamented the day it stopped serving its oversized fried fish. That affection is exactly why a closure like this stings in a way a chain shutdown wouldn’t.
Part of a County-Wide Vermin Wave
Beijing Express is one entry on a very long list. San Diego County logged more than 300 food-facility closures and downgrades in 2025, and a review of that data by SanDiegoVille found that vermin-related violations overwhelmingly dominated the closure orders. The same week Beijing Express went down, the county shuttered a string of others for major vermin findings, including a Mira Mesa seafood market, a downtown kebab shop, a Point Loma pizzeria, and a Bankers Hill cafe…