JACKSONVILLE, FL. Thai Spice Kitchen on Bowden Road drew 12 high-severity violations during the week of August 5, the highest single-facility tally among 15 Jacksonville restaurants cited for serious infractions in state inspection records reviewed by FloridaFoodSafety.org.
The violations at Thai Spice Kitchen included food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, food inspectors described as in poor condition or adulterated, no written employee health policy, and workers not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish identification records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish.
The Violations
Shibuya Sushi on Crosshill Boulevard was cited for 11 high-severity violations, including no person in charge present or performing duties, inadequate handwashing facilities, missing shellfish identification records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improper use of time as a public health control. Workers were also cited for not reporting illness symptoms and for improper handwashing technique.
Xtreme Wings on North Main Street matched Shibuya Sushi's count at 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, workers not reporting illness, food from unapproved sources, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, missing shellfish records, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Three restaurants on or near University Boulevard South drew high violation counts in the same week, a geographic cluster worth noting.
Sam Won Garden on University Boulevard South was cited for 10 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Tunis University, also on University Boulevard South, drew 10 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing facilities, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, missing parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Que Padre Mexican Restaurant, steps away on the same block, was cited for 9 high-severity violations including no person in charge, no employee health policy, workers not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, food in poor condition, and two separate toxic substance violations: chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Tulum Flavors of Mexico on East Town Parkway added 10 high-severity violations to the week's tally, including food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, food from unapproved sources, inadequate handwashing facilities, missing shellfish records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on South University Boulevard was cited for 9 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, workers not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. It is a national chain location.
Wok N Roll on Dunn Avenue drew 9 high-severity violations including no person in charge, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Blue Boy Sandwich Shop on Norwood Avenue was cited for 9 high-severity violations, among them food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Mr Snappers on 103rd Street drew 9 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition, missing shellfish identification records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Mudville Grille on Beach Boulevard was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Dream of Istanbul Cuisine on Beach Boulevard drew 8 high-severity violations including food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, food in poor condition, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. It also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Bagels R Us #6 on West Adams Street was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, missing shellfish identification records, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no demonstrated allergen awareness. Workers were also cited for not reporting illness symptoms and for improper handwashing technique.
Pig Seafood on Lem Turner Road drew a single high-severity violation: workers not reporting illness symptoms.
What These Violations Mean
The food sourcing violations at Thai Spice Kitchen, Xtreme Wings, Sam Won Garden, Tulum Flavors of Mexico, and Blue Boy Sandwich Shop carry a specific risk that goes beyond the kitchen. Food from unapproved or unknown sources bypasses federal USDA and FDA inspection systems, which means there is no paper trail if a customer gets sick. If an outbreak occurs and investigators cannot trace the food back to a licensed supplier, identifying the contaminated ingredient becomes significantly harder and slower.
The parasite destruction failures documented at Shibuya Sushi, Thai Spice Kitchen, Tunis University, Tulum Flavors of Mexico, Mr Snappers, and Dream of Istanbul Cuisine are directly tied to fish service. Fish intended to be consumed raw or undercooked, including sushi-grade fish, must be frozen at specific temperatures for specific durations before service to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm larvae. When that protocol is skipped, the parasite risk transfers directly to the customer's plate.
The "no employee health policy" citations at Thai Spice Kitchen, Xtreme Wings, Sam Won Garden, Tunis University, Que Padre, Popeyes, Mr Snappers, Blue Boy, Dream of Istanbul, and Bagels R Us #6 are not paperwork problems. Without a written policy, workers have no formal instruction on when to stay home or report symptoms to a manager. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants, spreads almost exclusively through infected food workers who continue handling food while sick.
The dual toxic substance violations at Que Padre and the chemical storage violations documented at Wok N Roll, Blue Boy, Tunis University, Mudville Grille, Mr Snappers, Dream of Istanbul, and Bagels R Us #6 represent an acute, fast-onset risk. Improperly stored or mislabeled cleaning chemicals near food preparation areas can contaminate food within minutes. Unlike bacterial contamination, chemical poisoning does not require an incubation period.
The Longer Record
Shibuya Sushi carries the longest inspection history of any facility flagged this week, with 39 prior inspections on record. That the restaurant still drew 11 high-severity violations in August 2026, including missing parasite destruction protocols and no person in charge, raises a question the record alone cannot answer: what changed, if anything, between those 39 prior visits and this one.
Sam Won Garden has 36 prior inspections on record and Pig Seafood has 35. Both are among the most-inspected facilities on this week's list. Sam Won Garden's 10 high-severity violations this week, including food from unapproved sources and food not cooked to required temperatures, represent serious findings at a restaurant that state inspectors have visited dozens of times.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on South University Boulevard has 33 prior inspections on record. A national chain with standardized training protocols was still cited this week for no person in charge, no employee health policy, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
At the other end of the history spectrum, Dream of Istanbul Cuisine has only 2 prior inspections on record and already drew 8 high-severity violations this week, including food contaminated by hazards and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Tulum Flavors of Mexico has 12 prior inspections and accumulated 10 high-severity violations. Mr Snappers has just 5 prior inspections and drew 9 high-severity citations, including missing shellfish records and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures.
Bagels R Us #6 on West Adams Street, with 8 prior inspections, was the only facility this week cited for no demonstrated allergen awareness. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year, and that citation remains unresolved in this week's inspection record.
