JACKSONVILLE, FL. Inspectors visiting Salsas Mexican Restaurant at 8299 W. Beaver Street last week found 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection, the highest total among the 15 facilities flagged across Duval County between July 30 and August 5, 2026. The list included food from unapproved sources, inadequate handwashing facilities, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no written employee health policy, all at the same location, all at the same time.
Three restaurants were emergency-closed during the same stretch. Cruz Mexican Grille on Beach Boulevard was shut down July 31 for roach activity. Mod Pizza at Bartram Park Boulevard was closed the same day for fly activity. Soul Bowl Bistro on Merrill Road was closed July 30 after inspectors found no potable water on the premises.
The Week's Worst Findings
Salsas stood out not just for volume but for the combination of violations. An inspector documented that no person in charge was present or performing duties, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and that handwashing was both inadequate and improperly performed. Food from an unapproved or unknown source was also cited, meaning at least some ingredients arrived without the inspection trail that lets health officials trace a contamination event back to its origin.
Bowl of Pho at 9902 Old Baymeadows Road drew 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited inadequate shellfish identification records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, food from unapproved sources, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was posted.
Heavenly Cafe at 4251 Lenox Avenue collected 8 high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly stored, no employee health policy, and the same shellfish traceability and parasite destruction failures found at Bowl of Pho. No person in charge was present during the inspection.
Potbelly Sandwich Works at 9908 Old Baymeadows Road was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures and for failing to demonstrate allergen awareness, in addition to no employee illness reporting policy and no person in charge. The location had also improperly used time as a public health control, meaning food was held in the temperature danger zone without a documented plan for how long it could remain there safely.
Metro Diner at 9802 Baymeadows Drive drew six high-severity violations including improperly stored toxic chemicals, food contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitized, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal. That last citation, an intermediate violation, means waste handling at the facility was not meeting code during the inspection.
Dunkin Donuts at 842-1 Dunn Avenue was cited for two separate chemical storage violations, food from unapproved sources, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improper handwashing technique. Inspectors also noted single-use items being reused and wiping cloths improperly handled.
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront at 225 E. Coastline Drive received six high-severity violations including no written employee health policy, improperly stored chemicals, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also documented improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and inadequate toilet facilities.
Bamboo Express at 6016 San Jose Boulevard West was cited for both inadequate handwashing and improper handwashing technique, meaning employees were neither washing hands often enough nor washing them correctly when they did. No allergen awareness was demonstrated.
Also Flagged This Week
First Wok at 7897 Normandy Boulevard collected six high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Super Tienda Latina y Restaurant at 7579 103rd Street was cited for food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction failures, improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, no person in charge, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. All six violations were high-severity.
Red Gill Bistro at 4660 Salisbury Road drew five high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and inadequate shellfish identification records. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Dave and Busters at 7025 Salisbury Road was cited for food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction failures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improperly stored chemicals, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inadequate toilet facilities were also noted.
Jax Spice at 5016 Gate Parkway received five high-severity violations including undercooked food, unapproved food sources, parasite destruction failures, and improperly stored chemicals.
Hilton Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic on Transformation Way was cited for five high-severity violations including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction failures, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Cantina Caramba at 12640 Bartram Park Boulevard drew two high-severity violations, both significant: employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited high-severity violation this week was employees not reporting illness symptoms, flagged at Salsas, Bowl of Pho, Heavenly Cafe, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Metro Diner, Bamboo Express, Super Tienda Latina, Cantina Caramba, and the Hilton Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic. This is not a paperwork problem. A food worker who comes in sick and handles food is a direct transmission route for norovirus, which spreads through microscopic amounts of fecal matter on hands and can sicken dozens of customers from a single shift.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Salsas, Bowl of Pho, Dunkin Donuts, Super Tienda Latina, Dave and Busters, Jax Spice, and the Hilton Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic, means those facilities were using ingredients that arrived outside the regulated supply chain. When a product does not come through an approved source, there is no reliable way to trace it if someone gets sick, and no guarantee it was inspected at the point of origin.
Parasite destruction failures, documented at Bowl of Pho, Heavenly Cafe, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Metro Diner, First Wok, Super Tienda Latina, Dave and Busters, Jax Spice, and the Hilton Jacksonville, are particularly relevant for restaurants serving raw or lightly cooked fish. Without proper freezing protocols, parasites like Anisakis can survive in fish served as sushi, ceviche, or sashimi. The absence of a consumer advisory at Bowl of Pho, Heavenly Cafe, Dave and Busters, and the Hilton compounds that risk: customers who are pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised have no way of knowing the food carries that exposure.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at Dunkin Donuts, Metro Diner, First Wok, Dave and Busters, and Jax Spice, and a related violation at Salsas and Heavenly Cafe, represent an acute poisoning risk. Cleaning compounds stored near or above food preparation surfaces can contaminate food directly, and mislabeled chemicals can be mistaken for food-safe products.
The Longer Record
Bowl of Pho has 48 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility in this week's data. Nine high-severity violations in its most recent inspection, across food sourcing, parasite safety, shellfish traceability, and sanitation, represent a serious cluster of failures at a location that has been through the inspection process nearly fifty times.
Red Gill Bistro has 39 prior inspections. Metro Diner carries 35. First Wok has 30, Bamboo Express 29, and the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront 28. These are not new operations encountering the inspection system for the first time. Each has had ample opportunity to identify and correct recurring problems.
Potbelly Sandwich Works and the Hilton Jacksonville at Mayo Clinic each had only two and four prior inspections respectively when this week's violations were recorded. Both facilities are relatively new to the inspection record. Potbelly's six high-severity violations and the Hilton's five, including unapproved food sources and no person in charge, are notable accumulations for locations still early in their inspection histories.
Super Tienda Latina y Restaurant had four prior inspections before this week. All six of its high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources and no employee health policy, were cited without the benefit of a long correction history. The facility had not yet built a track record of addressing problems over time.
Cantina Caramba, with 26 prior inspections, had the lightest violation total this week at two high-severity citations. Its neighbor on Bartram Park Boulevard, Mod Pizza, was emergency-closed for fly activity on July 31, the same day Cruz Mexican Grille on Beach Boulevard was shut down for roaches. Soul Bowl Bistro on Merrill Road, closed July 30 for no potable water, had not reopened as of the close of the inspection week.
