OVIEDO, FL. State inspectors walked into Koi Sushi on Aloma Avenue on September 4 and found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers being served to customers who had no idea where it came from, no written employee health policy to keep sick workers out of the kitchen, and food employees washing their hands improperly or not at all. The restaurant was not closed.
The inspection turned up seven high-severity violations and two intermediate violations. That combination, at a sushi restaurant where raw fish is the centerpiece of the menu, raises the stakes on nearly every finding.
What Inspectors Found
The food sourcing violation stands as the most acute finding. When a restaurant cannot document where its food came from, there is no traceability if a customer gets sick. At a sushi bar, that means raw fish with no paper trail connecting it to a licensed, inspected supplier.
The food condition violation compounds the sourcing problem. Food described as in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated at a facility that already cannot account for its supply chain leaves a customer with no reliable way to know what they actually ate.
Two separate handwashing violations were cited: employees not washing their hands adequately, and employees using improper technique even when they did attempt to wash. Inspectors also found no person in charge present and performing supervisory duties.
Single-use items were being reused, and multi-use utensils were not being properly cleaned between uses. At a restaurant handling raw fish, improperly cleaned utensils develop bacterial biofilms that resist standard washing within 24 hours.
The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw and undercooked foods. Florida law requires posted notice so that customers, including elderly diners, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system, can make an informed choice about eating raw fish.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of unapproved food sources and no employee health policy is particularly dangerous at a sushi restaurant. Food from suppliers outside the licensed inspection system may carry Listeria, Salmonella, or other pathogens that inspected supply chains are specifically designed to screen out. At Koi Sushi, there was no documented chain of custody for what ended up on the plate.
The employee health policy violation means there was no written system requiring workers to report symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea before handling food. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, spreads directly from infected food handlers to customers through exactly the kind of contact a sushi restaurant requires, hand-to-fish, utensil-to-plate, roll-to-customer.
Two handwashing violations in the same inspection tell a specific story. Inspectors did not just note that handwashing was skipped. They also noted that when employees did attempt to wash, the technique was wrong. Studies show improper handwashing technique leaves enough residual pathogens on hands to contaminate surfaces and food even after a wash attempt.
The missing consumer advisory removes the last line of protection for the most vulnerable customers. A pregnant woman ordering a spicy tuna roll deserves to know the fish is raw. Without the posted advisory required by state code, she has no way of knowing the restaurant is not taking that basic disclosure step.
The Longer Record
The September 4 inspection was not a bad day at an otherwise clean restaurant. State records show 30 inspections on file for the Aloma Avenue location, with 286 total violations documented across that history.
The prior eight inspections alone show the scope of the pattern. Inspectors found six high-severity violations on May 7, 2026, then returned the next day and found ten. A follow-up inspection a week later still turned up three high-severity violations. Going back further, the December 2024 inspection produced seven high-severity violations and one intermediate. The March 2024 inspection produced seven high-severity violations and two intermediate violations, the same count as September 4.
No emergency closure has ever been ordered at this location across all 30 inspections on record.
The categories repeat. High-severity violation counts in the range of six to ten appear across five of the eight most recent inspections. The specific violations shift from visit to visit, but the severity level does not. That means follow-up inspections have repeatedly confirmed high-priority problems without producing a closure order or a sustained reduction in the number of serious findings.
Still Serving
After inspectors documented food from unknown sources, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing, improperly cleaned utensils, and single-use items being reused at a raw fish restaurant, Koi Sushi on Aloma Avenue remained open.
The September 4 inspection marks the third time in 2026 alone that inspectors found six or more high-severity violations at this location.
