APOLLO BEACH, FL. A state inspector visiting E Sushi and Grill on US Highway 41 on May 5 found that the restaurant was serving food from unapproved or unknown sources, a violation that means there is no way to trace where ingredients came from if a customer gets sick.

The inspector also found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, and a second citation for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. That is two separate chemical-safety failures documented in a single visit at a restaurant that serves raw fish.

The facility was not closed.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood from unapproved or unknown sourceTraceability failure
2HIGHToxic chemicals improperly stored or labeledChemical contamination risk
3HIGHToxic substances improperly identified/stored/usedToxic exposure risk
4HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw/undercooked foodsUninformed diners
5HIGHInadequate shell stock identification/recordsShellfish traceability failure
6HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned/sanitizedCross-contamination vector
7HIGHTime as a public health control not properly usedTemperature danger zone abuse
8HIGHInadequate handwashing facilitiesHygiene infrastructure failure
9HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniquePathogen transfer risk
10INTSingle-use items improperly reusedContamination risk

The nine high-severity violations covered nearly every major failure category in food safety: sourcing, sanitation, chemical storage, temperature control, handwashing, and consumer disclosure. The inspector also cited the restaurant for inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the oysters, clams, or other shellfish on the menu could not be traced to a certified source.

A sushi restaurant without a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods is a particular problem. That advisory is the only mechanism that alerts customers who are pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or otherwise at elevated risk that they are eating something that could make them seriously ill.

The inspector also found that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, that time was not being used correctly as a public health control for foods held outside of temperature, and that single-use items were being reused.

What These Violations Mean

Food from an unapproved or unknown source is not a paperwork problem. It means the ingredients bypassed USDA and FDA inspection systems entirely. If a customer becomes ill after eating there, investigators have no supply chain to trace, no lot numbers to pull, no distributor to contact. At a sushi restaurant, where raw fish is the product, that gap is acute.

The two chemical violations compound each other. Improperly stored or unlabeled chemicals near food create a direct contamination pathway. When those same substances are also improperly identified or used, the risk is not theoretical. A mislabeled container used in food preparation, or a cleaning agent stored where it contacts ingredients, can cause acute poisoning.

The handwashing failures matter separately. Inadequate handwashing facilities means the physical infrastructure to wash hands correctly does not exist in the workspace. The improper technique citation means that even when an attempt was made, it was not done correctly. Together, those two violations mean pathogens from raw fish, raw shellfish, or contaminated surfaces can move directly to food being prepared for customers.

The shell stock traceability failure is specific to raw shellfish. Oysters and clams are high-risk foods consumed raw or lightly cooked. Without harvest tags and certified source records, there is no way to link a shellfish illness to a specific harvest area or recall contaminated product.

The Longer Record

E Sushi and Grill: Inspection History, 2022-2026

2022-06-21: Emergency ClosureRodent and fly activity. Reopened June 24, 2022.
2023-01-246 high, 4 intermediate violations.
2023-09-139 high, 3 intermediate violations.
2024-02-148 high, 3 intermediate violations.
2024-05-017 high, 4 intermediate violations.
2024-11-124 high, 1 intermediate violations.
2025-04-3010 high, 2 intermediate violations.
2025-11-209 high, 4 intermediate violations.
2026-01-215 high, 1 intermediate violations.
2026-05-059 high, 1 intermediate violations.

The May 5 inspection was not an outlier. State records show 24 inspections on file for E Sushi and Grill, with 312 total violations accumulated across that history. Every inspection in the past three years has produced at least four high-severity citations. Five of the last eight inspections produced seven or more.

The restaurant was emergency-closed in June 2022 after inspectors found rodent and fly activity. It reopened three days later. The violations that followed in the years after that closure did not trend downward.

The April 2025 inspection produced 10 high-severity violations, the highest single-visit count in the recent record. The November 2025 visit found 9 high and 4 intermediate. The January 2026 inspection found 5 high. The May 2026 inspection found 9 high again.

That is four inspections in thirteen months, producing 33 high-severity violations in total, at a restaurant that serves raw fish and shellfish to the public.

Open for Business

State inspectors have the authority to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. After the May 5 inspection, with nine high-severity violations documented, including unapproved food sources, two chemical-storage failures, no raw-food consumer advisory, and inadequate handwashing facilities, the inspector did not issue an emergency closure order.

E Sushi and Grill on US Highway 41 remained open.