JACKSONVILLE, FL. State inspectors cited Soupa Noodle Bar on Southside Boulevard for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, serving food in poor condition, and operating without a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, part of a 10-high-severity-violation inspection that put it among the three worst-performing restaurants in Duval County during the week of October 5.
Fifteen Jacksonville restaurants drew high-severity violations during that seven-day stretch. Three of them, each tied at 10 high-severity citations, serve raw fish as a core part of their menus.
The Violations
Volcano Sushi House on Hodges Boulevard matched Soupa Noodle Bar's 10 high-severity count and added a violation that neither of the other top offenders drew: food from an unapproved or unknown source. That citation means some ingredient arriving in that kitchen bypassed federal safety inspection entirely.
Inspectors also documented food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards at Volcano Sushi House, alongside the same parasite destruction failure and inadequate shellfish traceability records found at Soupa Noodle Bar.
Terra Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse on Southside Boulevard rounded out the three-way tie at 10 high-severity violations. The Brazilian churrascaria drew citations for food from an unapproved source, inadequate handwashing facilities, no employee health policy, food contaminated by chemical or biological hazards, and the same shellfish traceability and parasite destruction failures found at both sushi-focused restaurants. Terra Gaucha recorded only one intermediate violation, the lowest secondary count among the top three.
Hot Wok on University Boulevard North logged nine high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled alongside employees not reporting illness symptoms and no written health policy. Inspectors also cited inadequate handwashing facilities and unclean food contact surfaces.
BB.Q Chicken on Deer Lake Court drew eight high-severity violations, including a citation for no allergen awareness demonstrated. That violation, combined with food in poor condition and improperly stored toxic chemicals, gave the Korean fried chicken franchise one of the more varied high-severity profiles of the week.
The DoubleTree by Hilton on Riverplace Boulevard also recorded eight high-severity violations, led by a citation for no person in charge present or performing duties. Inspectors found employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, food contaminated by hazards, and improperly stored toxic chemicals, all in a hotel kitchen that serves a transient guest population with no ongoing relationship to the establishment.
China Moon on West Beaver Street drew eight high-severity citations including a violation for time as a public health control not properly used. When a kitchen uses time instead of temperature to manage food safety, it requires a written plan and strict tracking. Inspectors found neither was adequate.
China Kitchen on Collins Road also reached eight high-severity violations, with citations for no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, food in poor condition, unclean food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, toxic substances improperly stored, and no allergen awareness.
Golden Corral on Memorial Park Road drew seven high-severity violations, one of which stood out: no approved potable water supply. Inspectors also found food from an unapproved source and improper sewage or wastewater disposal at the same facility, a combination that touches every stage of food handling from sourcing to preparation to waste removal.
Chuy's on Town Center Parkway recorded seven high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improper sewage disposal, and two separate toxic chemical citations. Tru by Hilton on Perimeter Industrial Parkway West also drew seven high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and improper sewage disposal.
Subway on Wilson Boulevard logged six high-severity violations, including a failure to follow required procedures for specialized processes and parasite destruction procedures not followed. A Subway drawing a parasite destruction citation is notable: the chain's tuna and seafood offerings require documented freezing protocols that inspectors found lacking here.
La Michoacana Al Natural on Beach Boulevard recorded six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, no allergen awareness, and inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment on the intermediate side.
Fast Eddy's Quick Mideast on Baymeadows Road drew two high-severity violations, the lowest count among the week's flagged facilities, for employees not reporting illness and unclean food contact surfaces.
Thai Cuisine and Noodle House on San Jose Boulevard was the only facility in the week's data to record zero high-severity violations, drawing a single intermediate citation for improperly reused single-use items.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failures at Soupa Noodle Bar, Volcano Sushi House, Terra Gaucha, and Subway on Wilson Boulevard are among the most direct risks documented this week. Fish served raw or undercooked, including the tuna, salmon, and other seafood central to noodle and sushi menus, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites like Anisakis roundworm and tapeworm. When that step is skipped or unverified, those organisms can survive into the finished dish.
The unapproved food source citations at Volcano Sushi House, Terra Gaucha, La Michoacana Al Natural, and Golden Corral carry a different kind of risk. Food that enters a kitchen without passing through a USDA or FDA-inspected supply chain has no paper trail. If a customer gets sick and investigators need to trace the ingredient back to its origin, there is nothing to follow.
No employee health policy and no illness reporting, documented at Soupa Noodle Bar, Hot Wok, BB.Q Chicken, China Moon, Golden Corral, Chuy's, Tru by Hilton, China Kitchen, and the DoubleTree, form a related cluster. Norovirus spreads person-to-person through food prepared by infected workers. A written policy requiring sick employees to stay home is one of the most basic structural barriers against an outbreak. Without it, the decision about whether to come in sick is left entirely to the individual employee.
The Golden Corral citation for no approved potable water supply is the single most acute infrastructure failure in this week's data. Cooking, handwashing, equipment sanitation, and ice production all depend on a clean water source. The same facility also drew citations for improper sewage disposal and food from an unapproved source, meaning inspectors documented failures at the water input, the food input, and the waste output of the same kitchen in a single visit.
The Longer Record
Thai Cuisine and Noodle House has the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 37 prior inspections on record, and it was the only location to avoid high-severity violations entirely. That track record is worth noting as context for the facilities that have accumulated comparable histories and are still drawing serious citations.
Chuy's on Town Center Parkway has 36 prior inspections on record and still drew seven high-severity violations this week, including sewage disposal problems and undercooked food. China Moon on West Beaver Street has 30 prior inspections behind it and drew eight high-severity citations, including a time-as-public-health-control failure that requires active management to prevent. China Kitchen on Collins Road has 27 prior inspections and still lacks a person in charge, a foundational requirement that predates every other compliance obligation.
Golden Corral on Memorial Park Road carries 35 prior inspections and drew its most serious cluster yet, with water, food sourcing, and sewage violations all documented in the same week. Terra Gaucha and Volcano Sushi House each have 25 prior inspections on record, and both drew 10 high-severity violations, tied for the week's worst performance.
Tru by Hilton on Perimeter Industrial Parkway West is the newest entrant in this week's data, with only five prior inspections on record. It still drew seven high-severity violations, including sewage disposal problems and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. BB.Q Chicken on Deer Lake Court has 11 prior inspections and already carries an allergen awareness citation, a violation type that can have immediate consequences for the one in thirteen Americans with a diagnosed food allergy. Whether either location improves on the next inspection is not yet in the record.
