Six live mice were enough to close down a Sacramento Korean grocery store that has fed the neighborhood for nearly three decades. On March 25, 2026, Sacramento County Environmental Management Department inspector O. Makinde walked into the dry storage area of Smile Food Market on Bradshaw Road and found not just evidence of rodents — chewed packaging, spilled flour, beans, and oatmeal scattered on shelving and the floor — but the mice themselves, still very much on the premises. The red placard went up. About 30 bags of dry goods, including flour, oatmeal, beans, and soybeans, were voluntarily condemned and hauled to the dumpster on the spot.
What the Report Says
The inspection report, obtained by Hoodline, is detailed in a way that most closure documents are not. Inspector Makinde documented approximately six live mice in the dry storage area and noted the tell-tale signs of an established rodent presence: packaging that had been chewed through and cut open, resulting in spilled dry goods on the shelves and floor. The store was ordered closed under California Health and Safety Code Section 114259.1, which requires food facilities to be kept free of vermin at all times, according to the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department.
A secondary violation was corrected on-site: staff were observed applying time stamps to displayed foods roughly 30 minutes after putting them out, rather than at the moment of preparation as required. The inspector educated staff on proper time control procedures, and the violation was noted as corrected during the inspection itself. The closure, however, was not correctable on the spot — that required the mice to go.
Person in charge Chae Kim signed the voluntary condemnation form for the 30-odd bags of dry goods. The inspection report notes that Kim's email was used to send the closure notice.
Part of a Wider Enforcement Sweep
Smile Food Market's closure was not an isolated incident. As Hoodline reported, the same round of Sacramento County inspections also turned up roughly 32 live and dead German cockroaches at CO DO 2 Vietnamese Restaurant, approximately 39 cockroaches at Snowbee Tea Station, about 17 at Valerio's Tropical Bake Shop, and around 36 rodent droppings at Brody's Restaurant. Slime buildup in an ice machine was flagged at Camden Spit & Larder. The county performs roughly 14,000 retail food inspections annually, and the vast majority — around 97% — pass, according to county spokesman Ken Casparis, as previously reported by the Sacramento Bee. The closures represent the far end of that 3%.
A Neighborhood Institution Since 1998
Smile Food Market is a family-owned Korean grocery that has been on Bradshaw Road since 1998, according to its Yelp listing. Its specialty is authentic Korean products — KBBQ meats, kimchi, in-house side dishes and hot foods, Korean snacks and drinks — in a compact, packed-aisle format that regulars describe with a combination of mild frustration ("narrow aisles") and genuine affection ("the real deal"). It consistently ranks among Sacramento's top Korean grocery options, per Yelp. The owner, Do Sool Kim, is listed on the inspection permit; the store also maintains an Instagram presence under @smile_market_.
On TikTok, the market has earned something of a cult following. Multiple food content creators have featured it in "favorite Korean market" series, praising everything from the kimbap to the prepacked lunch options near the register. It is, by most accounts, a genuinely beloved neighborhood store. Which makes the dry storage situation — mice, chewed flour bags, spilled oatmeal — the kind of finding that is both a legitimate public health concern and a particularly jarring thing to read about a place people trust.
What Comes Next
To reopen, Smile Food Market must hire professional pest control, clean and sanitize all food contact and preparation areas, and contact the Sacramento County EMD to schedule a reinspection at (916) 875-8440. The report notes that if evidence of a vermin infestation is still observed at reinspection, the health permit may not be reinstated — a higher bar than the typical "pass the follow-up" scenario. Reinspections are also subject to additional fees. The county's inspection database, searchable at inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/sacramento, is the fastest way to check whether the market has cleared reinspection and returned to a green placard.
