TAMPA, FL. State inspectors ordered Molly Malone's Irish Pub at 304 E Davis Blvd closed on August 12, 2026, after finding roach activity on the premises, the third time in eight years the Davis Islands bar has been shut down for the exact same reason.
The closure was not a surprise to anyone who has read the state's inspection file on the pub. Molly Malone's has accumulated 446 violations across 46 inspections on record, a total that places it among the most-cited food service establishments in Hillsborough County.
What Inspectors Found
Molly Malone's Emergency Closure History
Roach activity is the specific finding that triggers an emergency shutdown under Florida law, and it is the only finding that has ever triggered one at this address. Inspectors documented it in 2018, again in 2021, and again on August 12, 2026.
The most recent inspection on file, dated August 27, also cited one high-severity violation: no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Two intermediate violations accompanied it, one for single-use items being improperly reused and one for inadequate ventilation and lighting. That same combination, one high-severity and two intermediate violations, appears in every inspection conducted at the pub between August 13 and August 27.
The Violations
The consumer advisory violation is a persistent citation at the pub. Florida requires any establishment serving raw or undercooked proteins, such as burgers cooked to order or raw oysters, to post a written notice warning customers of the associated health risk.
The single-use item violation indicates staff were reusing items designed to be discarded after one use, including gloves, cups, utensils, or foil. The ventilation and lighting citation suggests inspectors found conditions in the kitchen that allowed grease vapors, heat, or smoke to accumulate without adequate airflow.
None of these three violations, on their own, would close a restaurant. The roach activity on August 12 is what shut the doors.
What This Means
An emergency closure for roach activity is not issued because an inspector spotted a single insect near a back door. Florida regulators reserve emergency shutdown authority for conditions that pose an immediate threat to public health, and active roach infestation in a food service environment meets that standard.
Cockroaches carry bacteria including Salmonella and E. coli on their bodies and legs, depositing them on food-contact surfaces, prep areas, and stored ingredients simply by moving through a kitchen. They are drawn to the same environments where food is prepared and stored, which makes their presence a direct contamination risk for every plate leaving the kitchen.
The danger compounds because cockroach infestations are rarely visible in their entirety during a single inspection. What an inspector documents is typically a fraction of the actual population, since roaches are nocturnal and concentrate in wall voids, under equipment, and inside drains. An inspector who documents roach activity during a daytime visit is recording the visible surface of a larger problem.
For customers who ate at Molly Malone's before the August 12 closure, there is no way to know how long the infestation had been present or how much contact roaches had with food or food-contact surfaces before inspectors arrived.
The Longer Record
Forty-six inspections and 446 total violations constitute a documented pattern, not a streak of bad luck. Molly Malone's has been inspected by state regulators more times than most permanent food service establishments in Tampa, and the cumulative violation count reflects years of recurring findings rather than any single catastrophic event.
The pub's first emergency closure for roach activity came on Halloween 2018. Inspectors returned the following day and cleared the facility to reopen. The second closure came in May 2021, also for roach activity, and state records do not confirm a reopening date from that shutdown.
The third closure, on August 12, 2026, carries the same unresolved status. As of the most recent inspection in state records, dated August 27, the facility had not been confirmed as meeting state standards for reopening.
Eight consecutive follow-up inspections between August 13 and August 27 each returned the same result: one high-severity violation, two intermediate violations. None of those inspections resulted in a confirmed clearance.
Whether Molly Malone's Irish Pub has reopened since August 27 is not reflected in the state's inspection records as of this report.
