TAMPA, FL. Pho Quyen Cuisine on East Fowler Avenue drew nine high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, more than any other restaurant in Hillsborough County during the period, with inspectors documenting food from unapproved or unknown sources, undercooking failures, and no written employee health policy.
Fifteen Tampa restaurants received high-severity citations during the week of July 11 through July 17, 2026, according to state inspection records. The violations ranged from missing illness-reporting procedures at a chain sports bar to parasite destruction failures at a Ybor City pizza shop with four decades of inspection history.
The Violations
At Pho Quyen, inspectors flagged inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning shellfish served at the restaurant could not be traced to a licensed harvester or approved source. They also cited improper hand and arm washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and the improper use of time as a public health control, a method that allows food to sit in the temperature danger zone on a strict schedule that, when not followed correctly, allows bacteria to multiply unchecked.
3 Coins Diner on North Nebraska Avenue produced seven high-severity violations, including a finding that no person in charge was present or performing duties during the inspection. Inspectors also found inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
The diner also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a posting required to warn customers who may be immunocompromised, elderly, pregnant, or otherwise at elevated risk.
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue received six high-severity violations, with inspectors noting no person in charge present, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique. The facility also lacked a consumer advisory and had food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors additionally cited inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment, a finding that compounds the temperature risk at a restaurant that operates a buffet format where food sits out for extended periods.
China House on West Hillsborough Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source and inadequate shell stock records, the same sourcing failures documented at Pho Quyen. Inspectors also found inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Miller's Ale House on East Fowler Avenue received six high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shell stock records, unclean food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The bar and grill serves raw or undercooked items, making the missing advisory a direct concern for vulnerable diners.
Bowl Bar on Anderson Road also drew six high-severity violations, including a citation for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures. That violation means fish served at the restaurant may not have been frozen to the temperature and duration required to kill parasites such as Anisakis. Bowl Bar also lacked a consumer advisory, had inadequate shell stock records, no employee health policy, and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Mambo's Cafe on North Armenia Avenue produced five high-severity violations: no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shell stock records, and no consumer advisory.
Retro House on East Henderson Avenue drew five high-severity violations including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, a finding that means inspectors documented undercooked food, not just a procedural gap. Inspectors also cited toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food areas, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, and unclean food contact surfaces.
Nosh Express on North West Shore Boulevard received four high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, along with inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, and unclean food contact surfaces.
SoFresh on East Fowler drew four high-severity violations including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Mama's Kitchen 3 on North Florida Avenue also received four high-severity violations and an intermediate sewage disposal citation, alongside unclean food contact surfaces, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory.
Charann's Tavern on Memorial Highway received four high-severity violations including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory. Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Northwest on Citrus Park Lane drew five high-severity violations, including no person in charge and improper use of time as a public health control, despite operating as a hotel food service facility where management oversight is expected to be consistent.
NY NY Pizza on East 7th Avenue in Ybor City received one high-severity violation for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, the same citation issued to Bowl Bar. Applebee's on West Hillsborough Avenue received one high-severity citation for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited high-severity violation this week was food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, documented at ten of the fifteen facilities including Pho Quyen, 3 Coins Diner, China Buffet, China House, Miller's Ale House, Bowl Bar, Retro House, Nosh Express, Mama's Kitchen 3, Charann's Tavern, SoFresh, and Applebee's. Cutting boards, prep tables, and slicers that carry residue from one food item to the next are a primary pathway for bacterial transfer, including Salmonella and E. coli, to reach food that will be served without further cooking.
The cluster of illness-reporting failures across multiple restaurants this week is the category that most directly connects an individual sick worker to a dining room full of customers. At China Buffet, 3 Coins Diner, Miller's Ale House, Mambo's Cafe, and Bowl Bar, inspectors found both no employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Those two violations together mean there is no written rule requiring workers to disclose illness and, separately, that workers were observed not reporting symptoms. Norovirus, which can be transmitted by a single infected food handler, is responsible for nearly half of all foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States.
The parasite destruction citations at Bowl Bar and NY NY Pizza carry a different and specific risk. When fish is served raw or undercooked without having been frozen to the temperatures required by the FDA's fish parasite control guidelines, parasites including Anisakis roundworm can survive and infect customers. Neither restaurant had a consumer advisory posted, which means customers eating at those restaurants had no indication that the fish they ordered may not have been treated to eliminate that risk.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at both Pho Quyen and China House, removes the traceability that the food safety system depends on. If a customer becomes ill after eating at either restaurant, investigators would have no supply chain record to follow, no way to identify a contaminated lot, and no way to determine whether other restaurants received food from the same source.
The Longer Record
China Buffet has 57 prior inspections on record, the highest count of any facility in this week's data. Six high-severity violations at a restaurant with that many inspections behind it indicates a pattern that has persisted across years of regulatory contact. 3 Coins Diner carries 46 prior inspections and produced seven high-severity violations this week, the second-highest single-facility count in the period.
Miller's Ale House has 41 prior inspections on record. NY NY Pizza also shows 41 prior inspections, making its parasite destruction failure notable: a restaurant with that inspection history has had ample opportunity to establish compliant fish-handling procedures. Retro House, with 37 prior inspections, was still cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored near food and food not cooked to minimum temperature.
SoFresh, with 36 prior inspections, drew a sewage disposal citation alongside undercooking and food contact surface failures. Pho Quyen, with 35 prior inspections, produced the week's highest violation count at nine high-severity citations.
Bowl Bar, with only 20 prior inspections, is among the newer facilities in this week's data. Its six high-severity violations, including the parasite destruction failure and missing consumer advisory, represent a significant accumulation of serious citations early in its inspection history. The Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Northwest, with 19 prior inspections, is also relatively new to the record and produced five high-severity violations, including no person in charge.
Nosh Express, with 23 prior inspections, was cited for food in poor condition or adulterated, a violation that did not appear at any other facility this week and that the inspection record does not further describe in the available data.
