TAMPA, FL. Yummy House China Bistro on East Hillsborough Avenue was serving shellfish this week without records to show where those shellfish came from, without a consumer advisory warning diners they were eating food that could be undercooked, and without an approved potable water supply, according to state inspection records for the week of August 19 through August 25, 2026.
That last violation, an unapproved water source inside a restaurant that handles raw seafood, stood out among a week in which 15 Tampa-area facilities racked up high-severity citations. Yummy House drew seven high-severity violations in total.
The Violations
Luis's Garden Grille LLC on West Hillsborough Avenue led all facilities this week with eight high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees failing to report illness symptoms, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, two separate chemical storage violations, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
That combination, no manager, no illness policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and food not reaching safe cooking temperatures, is among the most dangerous clusters an inspector can document in a single visit.
Riverside Seafood Tampa on East Fletcher Avenue drew seven high-severity citations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source. For a seafood establishment, that violation carries particular weight: fish and shellfish from uninspected suppliers cannot be traced if someone gets sick, and inspectors have no way to verify the product was handled safely at any point before it arrived in the kitchen.
Longhorn Steakhouse at 2110 East Fowler Avenue also received seven high-severity violations. Among them: food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards; food from an unapproved source; inadequate shellstock identification; and improperly managed time as a public health control. A national chain with 29 prior inspections on record in this location drew the same volume of serious citations as a small independent.
Maikels Kitchen on Waters Avenue was cited for five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals stored improperly and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Kiki's Treats on East Davis Boulevard accumulated six high-severity citations despite having only two prior inspections on record. The list included food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated; inadequate shellstock identification; no consumer advisory; no allergen awareness; and improper sewage disposal.
La Cabana Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved source alongside inadequate shellstock identification records and improper handwashing technique. Five high-severity violations and five intermediate citations.
The Emergency Closure
On August 21, state inspectors ordered Sushi Masa Premium at 17021 Palm Pointe Drive shut down for roach activity. The closure was the only emergency action taken in Tampa during the week. Sushi Masa Premium is not among the 15 facilities listed above, which recorded high-severity violations during routine inspections.
What These Violations Mean
The unapproved water supply at Yummy House China Bistro is not a paperwork problem. Non-potable water used in food preparation can carry E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Legionella. At a restaurant handling raw shellfish, the intersection of an uninspected water source, missing shellstock records, and no consumer advisory creates compounding exposure risk.
The illness reporting failures documented at Luis's Garden Grille, Tom's Tavern Forest Hills on West Fletcher Avenue, California Pizza Kitchen in Westshore, Saki Endless Sushi and Hibachi on North Dale Mabry, Fruitwood Standup Market on West Cypress Street, Crazy Burrito on West Columbus Drive, Thinh An Kitchen and Tofu on West Waters Avenue, and La Cabana represent the most direct transmission route from food worker to customer. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States annually, spreads most efficiently when an ill worker handles food and no policy exists to keep them off the line.
The parasite destruction failures at both Fruitwood Standup Market and Harborview Cafe on North Rocky Point Drive are worth specific attention. Parasites in raw or undercooked fish, including Anisakis and various tapeworm species, are destroyed by freezing fish to precise temperatures for a set period or cooking to adequate internal temperatures. Without documented procedures showing that either step was followed, there is no way to confirm the fish served was safe.
The "no person in charge" violation at Luis's Garden Grille, Riverside Seafood, Longhorn Steakhouse, Tom's Tavern, and California Pizza Kitchen correlates directly with the volume of other violations found at each location. CDC data cited in state inspection records shows that facilities without active managerial control record three times as many critical violations. This week's inspection results bear that out: every facility cited for no person in charge also received multiple additional high-severity citations.
The Longer Record
Yummy House China Bistro and Thinh An Kitchen and Tofu share the highest prior inspection count among this week's facilities: 48 inspections each. Thinh An was cited for three high-severity violations this week, including employees not reporting illness symptoms and improper handwashing technique. A facility that has been inspected 48 times and still has workers who cannot demonstrate proper handwashing presents a compliance pattern that inspection alone has not resolved.
Saki Endless Sushi and Hibachi has 44 prior inspections and drew five high-severity violations this week, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. La Cabana Restaurant, with 38 prior inspections, and Maikels Kitchen, with 37, round out the group of facilities that have been visited most often and are still producing serious citations.
At the other end, Kiki's Treats had only two prior inspections before this week's visit, which produced six high-severity violations including sewage disposal and allergen awareness failures. Fruitwood Standup Market had four prior inspections and drew five high-severity violations including the parasite destruction failure. Riverside Seafood, with nine inspections on record, was already being cited for unapproved food sources.
Mi Pueblito Bakery and Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue drew one high-severity violation, for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, along with two intermediate citations. With 28 prior inspections on record, it had the lightest citation load of any facility in this week's roundup.
Longhorn Steakhouse, 29 inspections in, cited this week for food from an unapproved source. What that source was, inspectors did not specify in the public record.
