MELBOURNE, FL. A state inspector walked into Oishii Hibachi Express and Poke Sushi Bowl on Lake Washington Road on September 9, 2026, and found that the restaurant was not following parasite destruction procedures for its raw fish, one of the most fundamental safety requirements for any establishment serving sushi or poke.
The restaurant was not closed.
Despite nine high-severity violations documented in a single visit, state records show Oishii Hibachi Express at 3154 Lake Washington Rd remained open for business. Zero intermediate violations were cited alongside those nine high-priority findings, meaning every single violation inspectors documented that day sat at the highest level of concern.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite destruction failure is particularly pointed for a restaurant whose menu centers on raw fish. Sushi and poke bowls served with raw salmon, tuna, or other fish require that the fish either be frozen to specific temperatures for specific periods, or sourced from suppliers who have completed that process, to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm. Without documentation that those procedures were followed, there is no way to verify the fish served to customers was safe.
Inspectors also cited food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated. That violation sits alongside the parasite finding as a direct threat to anyone who ordered a bowl or roll that day.
No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked foods. That advisory exists specifically to warn elderly customers, pregnant women, young children, and people with compromised immune systems that consuming raw fish carries additional risk. Without it, those customers had no way to make an informed choice.
Staff demonstrated no allergen awareness. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans, and allergic reactions send roughly 30,000 people to emergency rooms each year. A restaurant with no demonstrated allergen awareness is one where a customer with a shellfish or soy allergy has no reliable protection.
The remaining violations formed a compounding picture. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, creating a direct pathway for bacterial transfer between ingredients. Handwashing facilities were inadequate, and employees were observed using improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning that even when handwashing was attempted, pathogens were not reliably removed. No employee health policy was in place to prevent sick workers from handling food. And no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of no parasite destruction procedures and no consumer advisory for raw foods is not a paperwork problem. Parasites like Anisakis can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and in some cases require surgical removal from the digestive tract. A restaurant serving raw fish without either completing parasite destruction or disclosing the risk to customers has removed both layers of protection at once.
The absence of an employee health policy compounds the risk in a different direction. Norovirus causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, and a significant portion of those cases trace back to infected food workers who had no policy requiring them to stay home or report symptoms. At Oishii Hibachi Express, no such policy was in place on September 9.
The handwashing failures matter because they interact with everything else. Inadequate facilities and improper technique mean that even a well-intentioned employee handling raw fish, then moving to prepare a finished bowl, may transfer pathogens regardless of intent. Studies show that proper handwashing reduces foodborne illness transmission by more than 50 percent. Improper technique erases that protection.
The management failure ties the other violations together. CDC data shows that establishments without active managerial control accumulate high-severity violations at three times the rate of those with engaged supervision. When no person in charge is present or performing duties, the conditions for every other violation on this list become easier to sustain.
The Longer Record
September 9, 2026, was not an aberration. State records show Oishii Hibachi Express has been inspected 19 times, accumulating 173 total violations across its history, with zero emergency closures.
The pattern of high-severity violations predates this inspection by years. In September 2022, inspectors cited nine high-severity violations and four intermediate ones, a count identical to this month's high-severity total. In February 2023, the tally was six high and five intermediate. In August 2023, four high and five intermediate. The restaurant has not posted a clean high-severity record in any inspection that appears in state records.
The February 2026 inspection, just seven months before this one, found two high-severity violations. That number dropped, then came back to nine.
None of those prior inspections resulted in an emergency closure. The facility has never been ordered shut by the state, despite accumulating 173 violations over 19 inspections, including repeated high-severity findings in food safety fundamentals.
Still Open
As of the September 9, 2026, inspection, Oishii Hibachi Express and Poke Sushi Bowl remained open. A restaurant serving raw fish to customers in Melbourne, Brevard County, with no documented parasite destruction procedures, no consumer advisory, no allergen awareness, and no person in charge on the premises, was not closed that day.
The state record shows 173 violations across 19 inspections and no closures.
