JACKSONVILLE, FL. Two restaurants were emergency-closed on the same day last week as state inspectors worked through a city that produced 15 facilities with high-severity violations between August 19 and August 25, 2026.
City Cafe on Salisbury Road and La Nueva Nota on Southside Boulevard each drew 11 high-severity citations, the highest tallies of the week. City Cafe's violations included food from unapproved or unknown sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, inadequate shell stock records, and a person in charge not present or not performing duties. An employee was also cited for not reporting illness symptoms, and inspectors flagged food contact surfaces as improperly cleaned or sanitized.
La Nueva Nota's 11 high-severity violations covered similar ground but added a critical cooking failure: food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for having no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate handwashing by food employees, on top of improper hand and arm washing technique.
The Violations
Bono's BBQ on Bowden Road followed with 10 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, inadequate shell stock identification, and time as a public health control not properly used. Food contact surfaces were cited as improperly cleaned. Inspectors also noted employees not reporting illness symptoms and improper handwashing technique.
Waffle House #2083 on Lem Turner Road drew 9 high-severity violations. Among the most serious: food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, food from unapproved sources, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The location also had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and time as a public health control was not properly used.
Pupuseria y Restaurante Maria on University Boulevard South produced 8 high-severity violations and the week's highest intermediate count at 6. Inspectors cited food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. The restaurant also lacked adequate shell stock records.
Cajun Crab on Commerce Center Drive was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, and a person in charge not present or not performing duties. Inspectors also found no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Sushi Garden on Oldfield Crossing Drive drew 8 high-severity violations, with inspectors noting no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. At a sushi restaurant, the absence of a consumer advisory for raw fish is a direct gap in customer protection.
Rosalia's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria on Old St. Augustine Road also tallied 8 high-severity violations, including food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, food from unapproved sources, no consumer advisory, and no person in charge.
Closures and Chemical Hazards
On August 21, state inspectors ordered two Jacksonville restaurants closed. Cocos El Memo 5431 on Arlington Road was shut for sewage leaks. Panera Bread #776 on Roosevelt Boulevard was closed for fly activity.
Bono's Pit BBQ on Beach Boulevard collected 8 high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified or stored, alongside no person in charge, no consumer advisory, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
Pepe's Hacienda and Restaurant on Merrill Road drew 8 high-severity violations: no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Yan Sushi on Bowden Road was cited for 8 high-severity violations including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. That last citation, at a sushi restaurant, carries acute risk for customers with shellfish or fish allergies.
La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant on Philips Highway drew 7 high-severity violations and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Inspectors also cited required procedures for specialized processes not followed, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and inadequate shell stock records.
Aromas Cigar Bar on Southside Boulevard produced 7 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, required procedures for specialized processes not followed, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. An intermediate citation noted multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Burgers and Brews on Nursery Fields Drive was cited for 7 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, food from unapproved sources, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also documented.
Hurricane Grill and Wings on Bartram Park Boulevard rounded out the list with 7 high-severity violations: no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Multi-use utensils not properly cleaned was cited as an intermediate violation.
What These Violations Mean
The handwashing failures documented this week are not paperwork problems. Every facility on this list was cited for improper hand and arm washing technique, and several, including La Nueva Nota, Pupuseria y Restaurante Maria, Cajun Crab, Sushi Garden, and Pepe's Hacienda, were also cited for inadequate handwashing by employees or inadequate handwashing facilities altogether. Improperly washed hands are the single most significant factor in spreading foodborne illness, and when facilities lack the infrastructure to wash hands at all, no amount of training closes the gap.
The food-sourcing violations at City Cafe, Bono's BBQ on Bowden Road, Waffle House, Rosalia's, Pepe's Hacienda, and Burgers and Brews are a separate category of risk. Food from unapproved or unknown sources bypasses USDA and FDA inspection entirely. If a customer gets sick and the food's origin cannot be traced, investigators have no chain to follow.
Parasite destruction failures at City Cafe and Bono's BBQ on Bowden Road are among the most underreported risks in restaurant inspection data. When fish or pork is not properly frozen or cooked to destroy parasites, Anisakis larvae and Trichinella can survive to the plate. These are not theoretical hazards.
The chemical storage violations at Waffle House, Cajun Crab, Bono's Pit BBQ on Beach Boulevard, Pepe's Hacienda, Yan Sushi, La Nopalera, Aromas Cigar Bar, Burgers and Brews, and Hurricane Grill and Wings are notable for their breadth. Nine of the fifteen facilities on this week's list had chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food. That is not a coincidence. It reflects a training gap that crosses cuisine type, price point, and ownership structure.
The Longer Record
La Nopalera on Philips Highway carries the longest inspection history of any facility on this week's list: 68 prior inspections on record. That is more than three times the count at most locations here, and this week it still produced 7 high-severity violations, including an improper sewage disposal citation.
Rosalia's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria has 32 prior inspections on record and drew 8 high-severity violations this week, including food from unapproved sources and food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards. Aromas Cigar Bar has 28 prior inspections and still lacked adequate handwashing facilities. Burgers and Brews has 27 prior inspections and was cited for sewage disposal problems alongside cooking temperature failures.
Waffle House #2083 has 27 prior inspections on record. City Cafe, La Nueva Nota, Sushi Garden, and Bono's Pit BBQ on Beach Boulevard each have 26. None of those histories prevented this week's double-digit or near-double-digit high-severity tallies.
At the other end of the scale, Pepe's Hacienda on Merrill Road has only 3 prior inspections on record, and Yan Sushi on Bowden Road also has just 3. Both drew 8 high-severity violations this week. Pepe's Hacienda was cited for food from unapproved sources, no person in charge, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Yan Sushi was cited for no allergen awareness and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature.
As of this writing, no re-inspection results for Cocos El Memo 5431 or Panera Bread #776 had been posted to state records following their August 21 emergency closures.
