ORLANDO, FL. Uncle Julio's Mexican from Scratch on International Drive drew the week's highest single-facility violation count, with 10 high-severity citations during an October inspection that included failed parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and no person in charge present or performing duties.
The parasite destruction finding is among the most serious on the list. Inspectors noted the restaurant was not following required procedures to eliminate parasites in fish and other proteins, a step that must occur before those items are served. The same visit also turned up no written employee health policy, no mechanism for employees to report illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
The Violations
Juicy Crab on International Drive was cited for eight high-severity violations, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, toxic substances improperly stored or identified, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. Inspectors also documented improper handwashing technique and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
The food sourcing citation stands out. Food from unapproved suppliers bypasses federal safety inspections entirely, meaning there is no traceable chain of custody if a customer gets sick.
Mariachi Mexican Restaurant on South Orange Blossom Trail drew nine high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, improper handwashing, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also found no person in charge present and no mechanism for employees to report illness symptoms.
Kolombia Cafe on West Crystal Lake matched that count with nine high-severity violations of its own, including inadequate shell stock identification records, food in poor condition or adulterated, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. The shell stock finding is significant: without proper tagging records for oysters, clams, or mussels, there is no way to trace a shellfish illness back to its source.
El Palacio Buffet on South Orange Blossom Trail was cited for eight high-severity violations, among them two separate toxic substance findings: chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified or used. The buffet format compounds the handwashing violation also documented there, since employees cycle through food handling and other tasks continuously.
Huong Viet Restaurant on West Colonial Drive received eight high-severity citations including food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. The allergen finding means staff could not adequately communicate ingredient risks to customers with food allergies.
KC Franchising LLC on Turkey Lake Road drew eight high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, time as a public health control not properly used, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. The time-control violation means food was left in the bacterial growth zone, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, longer than allowed without temperature monitoring.
Cecil's Texas Style Bar-B-Q on South Orange Avenue was also cited for eight high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. No person in charge was present during the inspection.
Cantina Catrina at the South Orange Blossom Trail location drew eight high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, two separate chemical storage violations, and no consumer advisory for raw items. Narita Sushi on South Orange Blossom Trail received seven high-severity citations including food from an unapproved source, food in poor condition, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature, a combination that raises particular concern at a sushi operation.
Jack and Mary's Restaurant on South Goldenrod Road was cited for seven high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed and time as a public health control not properly used. Amalfi on Avalon Lake Drive drew seven high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock identification, no allergen awareness, and two separate chemical handling violations.
Mordisco on International Drive received seven high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Eddie V's Restaurant on West Sand Lake Road also drew seven high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, time as a public health control not properly used, and no allergen awareness. Eddie V's was the only facility among the top 15 with zero intermediate violations alongside its high-severity count.
Ahmed Indian Restaurant near UCF on University Boulevard had the lowest violation count of the group at three high-severity citations, including food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread violation this week was the absence of an employee health policy, cited at Uncle Julio's, Juicy Crab, Mariachi Mexican Restaurant, Kolombia Cafe, El Palacio Buffet, Huong Viet, KC Franchising, Cantina Catrina, Narita Sushi, and Jack and Mary's. Without a written policy, there is no formal requirement for workers to disclose symptoms of illness before handling food. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads directly through infected food handlers. A single symptomatic employee working a full shift can expose dozens of customers.
Parasite destruction failures at Uncle Julio's, Jack and Mary's, and Eddie V's represent a different category of risk. When fish, pork, or wild game is served raw or undercooked, federal guidelines require that it first be frozen to specific temperatures for a defined period to kill parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork. Skipping that step means parasites can survive to the plate.
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation, documented at Juicy Crab, Mariachi Mexican Restaurant, Huong Viet, KC Franchising, Cantina Catrina, Narita Sushi, and Mordisco, is partly a traceability problem. When food enters a restaurant through an uninspected supplier, there is no documentation trail. If multiple customers report illness, investigators have no supply chain to follow.
Chemical handling violations appeared at nearly every facility on this week's list. El Palacio Buffet, Cantina Catrina, and Amalfi each drew two separate chemical citations in the same inspection. Improperly stored or unlabeled cleaning chemicals near food prep surfaces create a direct contamination pathway, and the risk is not theoretical: chemical poisoning from restaurant food is documented in Florida every year.
The Longer Record
El Palacio Buffet has the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's group, with 60 prior inspections on record. That number represents years of state scrutiny, and this week's findings, including two separate toxic substance violations and no person in charge, suggest the volume of prior inspections has not produced sustained compliance.
Huong Viet Restaurant has 38 prior inspections on record, and Juicy Crab has 37. Both drew eight high-severity violations this week. Jack and Mary's Restaurant has 36 prior inspections and still drew a parasite destruction failure this week, a violation that requires active procedural knowledge to avoid.
Ahmed Indian Restaurant near UCF has 49 prior inspections on record, the second-highest count in the group, yet received only three high-severity violations this week. That stands in contrast to El Palacio Buffet, which has more inspections and a far heavier violation load.
At the other end of the spectrum, Kolombia Cafe on West Crystal Lake has only six prior inspections on record, making it one of the newest facilities in this group. It drew nine high-severity violations this week, tied for second-highest in the roundup, including shell stock traceability failures and adulterated food findings. A facility accumulating that violation count that early in its inspection history is a pattern worth watching.
Cantina Catrina has 20 prior inspections and drew eight high-severity violations including two chemical handling citations. Uncle Julio's, the week's top violator with 10 high-severity citations, has 28 prior inspections on record. Whether those prior inspections documented similar parasite destruction and cooking temperature failures is not reflected in this week's report.
