ORLANDO, FL. Napasorn Thai Restaurant on East Pine Street has been inspected 45 times by state regulators, more than any other facility flagged this week, and inspectors still cited it for food from an unapproved source, improper sewage disposal, and toxic chemicals stored without proper labeling during the week of September 10.
Fifteen Orlando-area restaurants drew high-severity violations in a single seven-day stretch. Two of them, Tijuana Flats Burrito Company at Avalon Park Boulevard and World Cafe on International Drive, each accumulated eight high-severity citations, the highest total of any facility inspected this week.
The Violations
Tijuana Flats drew citations across nearly every major risk category inspectors track. The Avalon Park location was cited for food in poor condition, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no allergen awareness demonstrated, toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. A person in charge was not present or not performing duties at the time of the inspection.
World Cafe on International Drive matched that total with a different but equally serious set of concerns. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food sourced from an unapproved or unknown supplier, inadequate shell stock identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature, in addition to no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Ten Ten Seafood and Grill on West Colonial Drive drew seven high-severity citations, including improper sewage or wastewater disposal at the intermediate level, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and time used as a public health control without being properly documented. Inspectors also cited the facility for toxic chemicals stored without proper labeling.
Mecatos Bakery and Cafe on North Orange Avenue was cited for seven high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. No person in charge was present or performing duties at the time of the inspection.
Mexican Restaurant Las Cazuelas on South Avalon Park Boulevard drew seven high-severity citations, among them inadequate handwashing facilities, no employee health policy, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inspectors also cited improper sewage disposal at the intermediate level.
Talay on North Orange Avenue was cited for seven high-severity violations with no intermediate citations at all. The list included food from an unapproved source, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Across the City
Brooklyn Pizza on Pershing Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification records, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited improper sewage disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Bella Italia on East Michigan Street was cited for six high-severity violations including no allergen awareness demonstrated, food in poor condition, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory. Multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and improper sewage disposal appeared as intermediate citations.
Pho Haven on Narcoossee Road drew six high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory. Multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and improper sewage disposal rounded out the intermediate citations.
Orient Cafe on South Semoran Boulevard was cited for six high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock identification records, no consumer advisory, toxic chemicals improperly stored, improper handwashing technique, and no employee health policy. Inspectors also found single-use items being improperly reused.
Nan King Restaurant on Old Winter Garden Road drew five high-severity citations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inspectors cited improper sewage disposal and single-use items improperly reused at the intermediate level.
Grazie on Corrine Drive was cited for three high-severity violations: food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time as a public health control not properly used, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Inspectors also noted inadequate cooling equipment and inadequate ventilation.
Little Haiti Pate Kode on West Colonial Drive drew two high-severity citations, both chemical-related: toxic chemicals improperly stored and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Third K Cafe on Curry Ford Road was cited for food in poor condition and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, with inadequate ventilation as an intermediate violation.
What These Violations Mean
The single most common high-severity violation across this week's inspections was food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, cited at eleven of the fifteen facilities, including Tijuana Flats, World Cafe, Ten Ten Seafood, Napasorn Thai, Mecatos, Las Cazuelas, Talay, Brooklyn Pizza, Bella Italia, Pho Haven, Orient Cafe, Nan King, Grazie, and Third K Cafe. Cutting boards, prep tables, and slicers that are not properly sanitized between uses transfer bacteria directly onto the next food that touches them. There is no visible sign that a surface is contaminated.
Six facilities, including World Cafe, Mecatos, Brooklyn Pizza, Orient Cafe, Ten Ten Seafood, and Napasorn Thai, were cited for problems related to shellfish traceability or parasite destruction. When shellfish like oysters or clams arrive without proper identification tags, there is no way to trace them back to a harvesting location if customers become ill. Parasite destruction requires fish to be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before being served raw or undercooked. Without documentation that the process was completed, there is no way to confirm it happened.
Four facilities, Tijuana Flats, Mecatos, Las Cazuelas, and Pho Haven, were cited for no person in charge present or performing duties. State food safety research consistently links the absence of active managerial oversight to higher rates of critical violations. When no one is accountable in real time, handwashing lapses, temperature failures, and cross-contamination go uncorrected.
Improper sewage or wastewater disposal appeared as an intermediate violation at six locations, including Ten Ten Seafood, Napasorn Thai, Las Cazuelas, Brooklyn Pizza, Bella Italia, Pho Haven, and Nan King. Sewage leaks or improper drainage create the conditions for fecal contamination to spread through a kitchen without any visible indicator.
The Longer Record
Napasorn Thai's 45 prior inspections on record make it the most-inspected facility flagged this week, and this week's findings, food from an unapproved source, toxic chemicals improperly stored, improper handwashing technique, and improper sewage disposal, are not first-time categories for a restaurant with that volume of regulatory contact. Orient Cafe on South Semoran, with 43 prior inspections, and Nan King Restaurant, with 36, round out the three most-inspected facilities in this week's data.
Tijuana Flats and Brooklyn Pizza each have 34 prior inspections on record. Both drew high-severity violations this week in the same core categories, food handling, surface sanitation, and illness reporting, that appear repeatedly in facilities with long inspection histories and no apparent trend toward correction.
Talay, with 29 prior inspections, and Third K Cafe, with 28, sit in the mid-range. Pho Haven and Mecatos each have only 14 prior inspections on record, making them among the newest facilities in this week's data. Both were cited for seven or six high-severity violations respectively, including management failures, food sourcing problems, and cooking temperature violations.
Mecatos Bakery and Cafe, despite its relatively short inspection history, was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed and inadequate shell stock identification records, violations that require deliberate procedural failures rather than oversight. Pho Haven, also early in its inspection record, drew citations for no person in charge and no employee health policy, two foundational compliance failures that inspectors typically flag before anything else.
