Tapas Revolution in Bluewater still has “sticky and dirty” shelving and “visibly greasy” cooking appliances after a cockroach infestation was found at the restaurant, a new inspection has revealed.
Dartford Council’s environmental health team revisited the Spanish restaurant on the Upper Plaza at the shopping centre after it scored one out of five for food hygiene in July. Inspectors discovered an active cockroach infestation over the summer, while mouse droppings were also reported in the upstairs bar area, according to Kent Online.
Revisit finds contamination concerns
Although these issues have now been resolved and Tapas Revolution has been rated as “very good”, inspectors still flagged four concerns about contamination, cleaning and repairs. The food hygiene report from the revisit on October 13, obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, revealed an “accumulation of limescale” around the pot-wash house and “sticky and dirty” shelving.
Filters above the cooking appliances were also described as “visibly greasy”, while a section of flooring in the upstairs kitchen “appears to have been damaged as a result of an oil spillage”, the report said. At the time of inspection, scoops were also found to be stored in direct contact with food, which was described as “poor practice” and something which could lead to “risk of contamination”.
Restaurant responds to inspection
Tapas Revolution said both issues were listed as “minor” in the report and were “resolved immediately” during the revisit. It added that the repair to the damaged flooring was completed on the same day as the inspection.
A spokesperson for Tapas Revolution said: “In July 2026, following invasive drainage works within a service / delivery area within Bluewater Shopping Centre, located adjacent to our basement and kitchen storage area, a small number of cockroaches were found within storage areas, behind equipment.
“Action was taken immediately by our management team and then followed up with treatment applied via professional contractors to remove the issue fully, which was completed successfully. No food contamination took place and our main operational service kitchen was completely unaffected. No further issues have since been identified.
“Tapas Revolution held a five-star food hygiene rating when the incident took place and has been successfully re awarded five-star rating following the incident.”
