RIVERVIEW, FL. Back in April 2026, a state inspector walked into Sushi Kampai Japanese Restaurant on Bloomingdale Avenue and documented food from unapproved or unknown sources being used in a restaurant that serves raw fish to the public. That single violation, combined with six other high-severity citations, placed the Riverview location among the more alarming inspection records in Hillsborough County that month. The restaurant was not closed.
The April 6 inspection turned up 7 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate violations, a total of 12 citations across a facility where customers routinely consume raw or undercooked seafood. State records show the restaurant remained in operation after the inspection concluded.
What Inspectors Found
The food sourcing violation stands out in a raw-fish context. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food from unapproved or unknown sources, meaning at least some of what was being prepared and served that day had not passed through USDA or FDA-regulated supply chains.
The chemical violations compounded the concern. Inspectors cited both improper storage or labeling of toxic chemicals and improper identification, storage, or use of toxic substances, two separate high-severity citations that together indicate chemicals were present in proximity to food or food preparation areas without adequate controls.
The restaurant was also cited for failing to use time as a public health control properly. At a sushi restaurant, where raw fish is frequently held without refrigeration during service, this violation is particularly pointed. Inspectors also found that the facility lacked a required consumer advisory notifying diners that raw or undercooked items carry health risks.
Hand-washing technique was cited as a high-severity violation, meaning employees were observed making handwashing attempts that left pathogens on their hands. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, a finding that, combined with the handwashing failure, describes a facility where contamination could move from surface to surface to plate.
On the intermediate side, inspectors cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, improper use of wiping cloths, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation carries a specific risk that is amplified in a sushi context. Regulated seafood suppliers are required to document where fish was caught or farmed, how it was handled, and whether it was frozen to kill parasites before being served raw. When that supply chain is bypassed, there is no paper trail if a customer gets sick, and no way to trace an outbreak back to its origin. Listeria and Salmonella are among the pathogens that can survive in improperly sourced seafood.
The two chemical violations, taken together, describe a kitchen where toxic substances were not properly separated from food or food-preparation areas. Chemical contamination from mislabeled or improperly stored cleaners does not require a large quantity to cause acute illness. A splash, a residue on a surface, or a container mistaken for a food ingredient are all documented routes of exposure.
The absence of a consumer advisory is a legal requirement for any restaurant serving raw or undercooked items, not a suggestion. Pregnant women, elderly diners, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system face elevated risk from raw fish. Without the advisory posted on the menu, those customers cannot make an informed choice about what they order.
The sewage and wastewater disposal citation, an intermediate violation, nonetheless carries a serious underlying risk. Improper sewage disposal introduces the possibility of fecal contamination in a facility where food is being prepared. Sushi Kampai was actually emergency-closed in October 2023 for a sewage backup. The reappearance of a sewage-related citation in April 2026, even at the intermediate level, is a detail the inspection record does not explain away.
The Longer Record
Sushi Kampai: Recent Inspection Pattern
The April 2026 inspection was not an aberration. State records show Sushi Kampai has accumulated 344 total violations across 29 inspections on record, and has been emergency-closed twice, once in 2020 for roach activity and once in October 2023 for a sewage backup.
The pattern of high-severity violations is consistent and recent. The November 2025 inspection, just five months before April 2026, produced 6 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations. The November 2024 inspection produced 6 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. In February 2024, inspectors documented 12 high-severity violations in a single visit, the worst single inspection in the facility's recent record.
Four of the six most recent inspections before April 2026 each produced at least 4 high-severity violations. The April 2026 inspection, with 7, was the worst since February 2024.
The restaurant remained open after the April 6, 2026 inspection.