ORLANDO, FL. Viet-Nomz on East Colonial Drive drew 10 high-severity violations during the week of April 30, the highest single-facility count among 15 Orlando restaurants cited for critical food safety failures in state inspection records covering April 30 through May 6, 2026.
Inspectors at Viet-Nomz documented food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish traceability records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature, all in a single visit. The person in charge was either absent or not performing required duties. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and handwashing technique was documented as improper.
Sharon's Homestyle Cookin on South Orange Avenue followed with 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors there found toxic substances improperly stored alongside food preparation areas, food from unapproved sources, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items.
What Inspectors Found
Three facilities tied at 8 high-severity violations each: Memories of Peru on Crystal Clear Lane, A Aki Sushi and Steakhouse on West Sand Lake Road, and Bachata Breeze Restaurant on Curry Ford Road.
Memories of Peru was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for proper hand hygiene was absent or compromised, alongside toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and food from unapproved sources. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for failing to properly use time as a public health control, a violation that means food sat in the temperature danger zone without any documented tracking.
A Aki Sushi and Steakhouse, which serves raw fish, drew citations for no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods and for failing to properly use time as a public health control. Toxic chemicals were also found improperly stored or labeled. The person in charge was not present or not performing required duties.
Bachata Breeze Restaurant had no written employee health policy and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. Food was found in poor condition or adulterated, and food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Harry's Pool Side Bar and Grill on International Drive also reached 8 high-severity violations, with zero intermediate violations alongside them. Inspectors found food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, and shellfish served without adequate traceability records.
Maroush Shawrma and Grill on North Alafaya Trail drew 7 high-severity violations and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that indicates risk of fecal contamination spreading through the facility. Inspectors also cited food in poor condition, shellfish without traceability records, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
District Gastrobar and Obsidian Lounge at the District on West Church Street was cited for 7 high-severity violations including a notable finding: parasite destruction procedures not followed. That citation means fish served at the restaurant may not have been frozen to the time and temperature thresholds required to kill parasites such as Anisakis before being served. The facility also had improper sewage disposal documented as an intermediate violation.
Cantina Catrina on South Orange Blossom Trail was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperature alongside food from unapproved sources and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, a finding inspectors documented as an intermediate violation.
Adega Gaucha on Crystal Clear Lane, sharing the same complex as Memories of Peru, collected 6 high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms, shellfish without traceability records, and improper sewage disposal. Multi-use utensils were also cited as inadequately cleaned.
Kavas Tacos and Tequila on International Drive was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improper handwashing technique, and toxic substances improperly stored. Inspectors also noted improper sewage disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
VanBarry's Public House on South Orange Avenue drew a citation for parasite destruction procedures not followed, alongside no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also found inadequate cooling or cold holding equipment, a citation that means the facility lacked the mechanical capacity to keep food out of the temperature danger zone.
Kizuna Asian Buffet and Sushi on South Apopka Vineland Road was cited for no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, shellfish without traceability records, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inadequate ventilation was also noted.
El Patron on South Apopka Vineland Road, operating just steps from Kizuna on the same road, drew 6 high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and improper sewage disposal. Inadequate ventilation was cited as well.
Unreserved on Chelonia Parkway was cited for no allergen awareness demonstrated, a violation that inspectors document when staff cannot identify allergens in menu items or describe how cross-contact is prevented. The facility also had food from unapproved sources, shellfish without traceability records, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread violation across this week's inspections was food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Viet-Nomz, Sharon's Homestyle Cookin, Memories of Peru, A Aki Sushi and Steakhouse, Bachata Breeze, Harry's Pool Side Bar and Grill, Maroush Shawrma and Grill, Cantina Catrina, VanBarry's Public House, El Patron, and Unreserved. When food enters a kitchen from an unapproved supplier, it has bypassed the USDA and FDA inspection chain entirely. If someone gets sick, investigators have no harvest records, no distributor logs, and no way to trace the source.
Shellfish traceability failures appeared at seven facilities this week, including Viet-Nomz, Sharon's Homestyle Cookin, Harry's Pool Side Bar and Grill, Maroush Shawrma, District Gastrobar, Adega Gaucha, Kizuna, and Unreserved. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or barely cooked, and they are a primary vehicle for Vibrio and norovirus. The traceability tag requirement exists specifically so that a contaminated harvest can be recalled before more people are exposed. Without those records, a contaminated batch is untraceable.
The "person in charge not present or not performing duties" citation at Viet-Nomz, Sharon's Homestyle Cookin, A Aki Sushi and Steakhouse, and District Gastrobar is not a paperwork issue. CDC data ties the absence of active managerial control directly to higher rates of critical violations across the board. When no one is accountable on the floor, handwashing lapses, temperature checks go undone, and sick employees stay on the line.
Parasite destruction failures at District Gastrobar and VanBarry's Public House carry a specific risk for anyone ordering raw or lightly prepared fish. Anisakis larvae, present in many species of wild-caught fish, survive unless the fish is frozen to required temperatures for a required duration before service. Neither restaurant had consumer advisories posted to inform diners that the risk existed.
The Longer Record
A Aki Sushi and Steakhouse has the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 44 prior inspections on record. Eight high-severity violations in a single visit, after that volume of regulatory contact, is a pattern, not an anomaly.
Kizuna Asian Buffet and Sushi has 41 prior inspections on record and still drew 6 high-severity violations this week, including failures in employee illness reporting and handwashing that appear in the earliest inspection categories regulators examine. Viet-Nomz has 36 inspections on record and led the week with 10 high-severity citations.
El Patron has 31 prior inspections and Bachata Breeze Restaurant has 32, both accumulating records long enough that this week's violations cannot be attributed to unfamiliarity with the inspection process. Adega Gaucha, with 29 inspections, was cited alongside its building neighbor Memories of Peru, which has 27, for overlapping categories of violations at the same Crystal Clear Lane complex.
At the other end of the experience curve, Kavas Tacos and Tequila has only 7 prior inspections on record and already carries 6 high-severity violations from this week alone, including improper sewage disposal and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Unreserved on Chelonia Parkway has 14 prior inspections and drew a citation for no allergen awareness demonstrated, a violation with direct life-safety implications that the restaurant's relatively short inspection history does not explain away.
District Gastrobar's citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal remained unresolved in the inspection record as of the close of the reporting period.