ORLANDO, FL. Baires Grill on International Drive drew 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of September 7, the highest count among 15 Orlando-area restaurants cited for critical food safety failures in state records covering September 7 through September 13, 2026.
The violations at the International Drive Argentine grill included food from unapproved or unknown sources, inadequate shellfish traceability records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also found no written employee health policy, at least one employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique, a combination that represents nearly every link in the chain that public health officials say leads to multi-victim outbreaks.
What Inspectors Found
Joyful Tasty Palace on West Colonial Drive followed with 11 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no person in charge present or performing duties. Inspectors also cited the facility for improper time-as-a-public-health-control procedures, meaning food was allowed to sit in temperature ranges where bacteria multiply without adequate tracking.
Corazon Cocina Mexicana on Visitors Circle accumulated nine high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. The absence of a consumer advisory means customers with compromised immune systems, the elderly, and pregnant women had no notice that certain menu items carried elevated risk.
World Cafe on International Drive drew eight high-severity violations that included food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. The shellfish traceability failure is particularly significant at a restaurant serving raw or lightly cooked seafood, because without harvest tags on file, there is no way to trace an oyster or clam back to its growing waters if a customer becomes ill.
Kobe Japanese Steak House, also on International Drive, was cited for eight high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, required procedures for specialized processes not followed, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was posted, a significant gap at a teppanyaki restaurant where sushi and raw preparations are part of the menu.
Cucina Pizza and Bar on West Church Street received eight high-severity citations, including no person in charge present, food in poor condition or adulterated, improper time-as-a-public-health-control use, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. No consumer advisory was posted there either.
Tijuana Flats Burrito Company on Avalon Park Boulevard was cited for eight high-severity violations including no allergen awareness demonstrated, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, food in poor condition, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. No person in charge was present during the inspection.
Little Haiti Pate Kode on West Colonial Drive drew eight high-severity violations including no person in charge, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, and two separate chemical storage violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Ten Ten Seafood and Grill on West Colonial Drive was cited for seven high-severity violations, among them food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal. The sewage violation places the facility in a separate category: raw sewage contains concentrated fecal pathogens that can contaminate surfaces, food, and water throughout a kitchen.
Mexican Restaurant Las Cazuelas on South Avalon Park Boulevard received seven high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, no person in charge, no employee health policy, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inspectors also cited an improper sewage or wastewater disposal violation there.
Mecatos Bakery and Cafe on North Orange Avenue was cited for seven high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and inadequate shellfish identification records, a notable cluster for a downtown bakery and cafe.
I Love NY Pizza and Subs on Old Winter Garden Road drew five high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, required procedures for specialized processes not followed, and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Inspectors also found single-use items being improperly reused.
Nan King Restaurant on Old Winter Garden Road was cited for five high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. The facility also drew intermediate violations for improper sewage disposal and single-use items improperly reused.
Fountain View Cafe on International Drive received six high-severity violations including no employee health policy, inadequate shellfish identification records, no consumer advisory, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Grazie on Corrine Drive drew the fewest high-severity violations of the 15 facilities, with three citations including food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, improper time-as-a-public-health-control use, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
What These Violations Mean
The most common single violation across this week's inspections was food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, cited at 13 of the 15 facilities. Cutting boards, prep tables, and slicers that are not properly sanitized between uses transfer bacteria directly from one food item to the next, and from raw proteins to ready-to-eat foods. At a facility like Joyful Tasty Palace, where food was also found not cooked to required minimum temperature, the combination means pathogens introduced through contaminated surfaces may survive all the way to a customer's plate.
The cluster of shellfish traceability failures, cited at Baires Grill, World Cafe, Kobe Japanese Steak House, Little Haiti Pate Kode, Mecatos Bakery and Cafe, and Fountain View Cafe, carries a specific public health consequence. Oysters, clams, and mussels are filter feeders that concentrate bacteria and viruses from their growing waters. When harvest tags and dealer records are not maintained, there is no way to link a sick customer back to a specific harvest lot, and no way to trigger a recall if a contaminated batch is still in circulation.
Parasite destruction failures at Baires Grill, Corazon Cocina Mexicana, World Cafe, Nan King, and Mecatos Bakery and Cafe mean that fish served raw or undercooked, including in sushi, ceviche, or sashimi-style preparations, may not have undergone the required freezing protocols that kill Anisakis worms and other parasites. Anisakis infection causes severe abdominal pain and can require surgical removal of larvae from the stomach wall.
The sewage violations at I Love NY Pizza and Subs, Ten Ten Seafood and Grill, Nan King Restaurant, and Mexican Restaurant Las Cazuelas are in a different category from most food safety citations. Improper sewage disposal introduces fecal contamination into the facility environment, and that contamination does not stay contained. It can reach food prep surfaces, equipment, and food itself through foot traffic, airborne particles, and drainage backflow.
The Longer Record
Repeat Inspection History: Selected Facilities
Nan King Restaurant on Old Winter Garden Road has 36 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility in this week's group. Despite that history, inspectors this week documented parasite destruction failures, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Thirty-six inspections is a long runway to address recurring problems.
Tijuana Flats Burrito Company on Avalon Park Boulevard has 34 prior inspections on record and still had no allergen awareness demonstrated this week. Allergen failures affect 32 million Americans with food allergies and are linked to 30,000 emergency room visits annually. A facility with 34 inspections behind it has had substantial opportunity to build allergen protocols into staff training.
Joyful Tasty Palace on West Colonial Drive stands out in a different way. With 28 prior inspections and 11 high-severity violations this week, including no person in charge and food not cooked to minimum temperature, the facility's record suggests the violations are not a one-week anomaly.
Baires Grill on International Drive presents the opposite problem. With only three prior inspections on record, the Argentine grill has already accumulated the single highest violation count of any restaurant in this week's group. Thirteen high-severity citations in what amounts to an early stage of the inspection record is a pattern that typically draws closer scrutiny in subsequent visits.
Mexican Restaurant Las Cazuelas, with 15 prior inspections, had both a sewage disposal violation and inadequate handwashing facilities this week. Inadequate handwashing infrastructure is distinct from improper technique: it means the physical means to wash hands properly may not exist in the facility at all. Whether that condition was present in any of the 14 prior inspections is not reflected in this week's records.
