JACKSONVILLE, FL. Inspectors visiting Poke Cafe on Old Saint Augustine Road on April 28 found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, a violation that means there is no way to trace what customers ate back through the supply chain if someone gets sick.
That was one of nine high-severity violations documented that day. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The inspection record from April 28 cites food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated alongside the unapproved sourcing violation. Together, those two findings mean inspectors had concerns about both where the food came from and the state it was in once it arrived.
Food contact surfaces were found not properly cleaned or sanitized, a direct pathway for bacterial transfer between raw and ready-to-eat ingredients. In a poke restaurant, where raw fish is a menu staple, that citation carries particular weight.
Inspectors also documented that food was not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Undercooked proteins, especially poultry, can harbor Salmonella at temperatures below 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Two separate handwashing violations were cited on the same visit. One cited inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for proper hygiene was insufficient. The second cited improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning employees were attempting to wash hands but not doing so correctly. Both violations appeared on the same inspection report.
The chemical storage findings compounded the picture. Inspectors cited both improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals and improperly identified, stored, or used toxic substances. Two distinct chemical-handling citations in a single visit point to a kitchen where hazardous materials were not segregated from food preparation areas.
The restaurant also failed on time as a public health control, meaning food was left in the temperature danger zone, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, longer than state rules permit without temperature monitoring.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved sources is not a paperwork problem. When a restaurant purchases food outside the regulated supply chain, inspectors cannot verify that the product was handled, stored, or transported safely. If a customer becomes ill, there is no supplier record to trace. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli are the specific pathogens that approved-source rules are designed to intercept before food reaches a kitchen.
The undercooking violation matters differently. Salmonella survives in poultry that has not reached 165 degrees internally. A restaurant that is simultaneously sourcing food from unknown suppliers and undercooking it has compounded the risk at two separate points in the same meal.
The dual chemical-storage citations describe a kitchen where cleaning agents or pesticides were near food, improperly labeled, or both. Chemical contamination does not require a large quantity to cause harm. Mislabeled containers are a documented cause of accidental poisoning in commercial kitchens.
The two handwashing violations deserve to be read together. Inadequate facilities means the sink, soap, or drying materials were missing or broken. Improper technique means employees who did try to wash their hands were not removing pathogens effectively. Neither violation alone is acceptable in a food service environment. Both on the same inspection report, at a restaurant also cited for unclean food contact surfaces, describes a kitchen where contamination had multiple uncontrolled entry points.
The Longer Record
The April 28 inspection was the nineteenth on record for Poke Cafe. Across those 19 inspections, inspectors have documented 141 total violations. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The recent history shows a consistent pattern of high-severity citations. In October 2025, inspectors found six high-severity and two intermediate violations. In August 2024, eight high-severity violations were cited with no intermediates. In September 2022, six high-severity and one intermediate violation were recorded. In March 2022, five high-severity and two intermediate violations appeared.
The one clean inspection in this period, September 2024 with zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations, stands alone in the record. Every other recent inspection going back to March 2022 produced multiple high-severity citations.
April 28's count of nine high-severity violations is the highest single-inspection total in the available history. It is not, however, a departure from a previously clean record. It is the worst point on a line that has been elevated for years.
The Facility Remained Open
State inspectors documented nine high-severity violations at Poke Cafe on April 28 and did not order an emergency closure. Under Florida rules, emergency closure is triggered when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health, and that determination is made by the inspector on site.
The restaurant at 14866 Old Saint Augustine Road, Suite 102, was still operating after the inspection concluded.
Across 19 inspections and 141 documented violations, Poke Cafe has never received an emergency closure order.