TAMPA, FL. Pho Quyen Cuisine on East Fowler Avenue racked up nine high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, the highest total among the 15 Tampa restaurants cited for serious food safety failures between July 13 and July 19, 2026.
The violations at Pho Quyen included food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish traceability records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for failing to use time as a public health control properly, for improper handwashing technique, for having no employee health policy, and for an employee not reporting symptoms of illness.
That is nine separate pathways, documented in one visit, through which a customer could get sick.
Four Restaurants Closed, One of Them a National Chain
Four Tampa restaurants were emergency-closed during the week. On July 14, inspectors ordered Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar on West Hillsborough Avenue shut for roach activity. Two days later, on July 16, three more closures came in a single day.
Farandulero Pizzeria on West Hillsborough Avenue was closed for roach and fly activity. NY NY Pizza on East 7th Avenue in Ybor City was closed for rodent and fly activity. Zagora Cafe on East Busch Boulevard was closed for rodent activity.
NY NY Pizza had already drawn a high-severity violation for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, alongside citations for reusing single-use items and inadequate ventilation. The rodent and fly activity that triggered the closure came on top of those.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
3 Coins Diner on North Nebraska Avenue drew seven high-severity violations, second-most this week. Among them: no person in charge present or performing duties, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. Inspectors also cited the diner for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The toilet facilities were listed as inadequate or improperly maintained.
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue collected six high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also noted multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment. A buffet with failing cold-holding equipment is a specific and serious combination.
China House on West Hillsborough Avenue was also cited for six high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source and inadequate shellfish traceability records, the same sourcing pattern seen at Pho Quyen. Inspectors additionally documented inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and time as a public health control not properly used.
Miller's Ale House on East Fowler Avenue drew six high-severity violations as well. The national chain location had no person in charge present, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shellfish traceability records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Single-use items were being reused and equipment was in poor repair.
Bowl Bar on Anderson Road had six high-severity violations, including one that stood out: parasite destruction procedures not followed. Without proper freezing or cooking protocols for fish, parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm can survive to the plate. Bowl Bar was also missing a shellfish traceability record, lacked an employee health policy, had an employee not reporting illness symptoms, had food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and had no consumer advisory.
Mambo's Cafe on North Armenia Avenue was cited for five high-severity violations: no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Retro House on East Henderson Avenue drew five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Inspectors also documented improper handwashing technique and inadequate shellfish traceability records.
Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Northwest on Citrus Park Lane had five high-severity violations with no intermediate violations, a combination that means the most serious failures were present without the secondary issues that sometimes accompany them. Inspectors cited no person in charge, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory.
Mamas Kitchen 3 on North Florida Avenue had four high-severity violations and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a violation that creates risk of fecal contamination throughout the facility. The high-severity violations included no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no consumer advisory.
Charann's Tavern on Memorial Highway was cited for four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Toilet facilities were listed as inadequate or improperly maintained.
Surfside Cafe at Adventure Island on North McKinley Drive drew four high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, inadequate shellfish traceability records, no consumer advisory, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. The allergen citation is notable: food allergies send 30,000 people to emergency rooms annually, and a theme park food stand with no demonstrated allergen awareness serves a high volume of guests who may not think to ask.
Nosh Express at West Shore Boulevard had four high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition or adulterated, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
What These Violations Mean
The single most common high-severity violation across this week's inspections was improper handwashing technique, cited at Pho Quyen, Nosh Express, 3 Coins Diner, China House, Mamas Kitchen 3, Charann's Tavern, and the Courtyard by Marriott. This is not the same as failing to wash hands at all. It means employees attempted to wash hands but did so incorrectly, leaving pathogens on skin that then transfer to food, surfaces, and utensils. Studies show that even one missed step in the handwashing sequence can leave the hands as contaminated as if they had not been washed.
The cluster of employee illness violations at Pho Quyen, 3 Coins Diner, China Buffet, Miller's Ale House, Bowl Bar, and Mambo's Cafe is the combination that most directly precedes outbreaks. When there is no written health policy and no mechanism for employees to report symptoms, a worker with Norovirus has no institutional reason to stay home. Norovirus spreads through fewer than 20 viral particles and survives on surfaces for weeks.
Food from unapproved sources, cited at Pho Quyen and China House, removes the traceability that makes illness investigation possible. If a customer gets sick after eating shellfish at either restaurant, and the shellfish arrived without proper documentation, investigators cannot trace it back to a harvest location, a distributor, or a contaminated batch. The shellfish traceability failures at Bowl Bar, Miller's Ale House, Mambo's Cafe, Retro House, Surfside Cafe, and the Courtyard by Marriott compound this problem across the city.
The parasite destruction failures at Bowl Bar, NY NY Pizza, and Surfside Cafe represent a distinct category of risk. Parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork are not killed by refrigeration. They require either sufficient cooking temperature or verified freezing protocols. Without documentation that either has occurred, the restaurant cannot confirm the food is safe.
The Longer Record
China Buffet on East Fowler has 57 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility cited this week. That is a long institutional history, and this week's six high-severity violations, including a missing person in charge and inadequate cold-holding equipment, are not a new story there. 3 Coins Diner on North Nebraska has 46 prior inspections, and this week's seven high-severity violations included inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for basic hygiene was not in place.
Miller's Ale House and NY NY Pizza each have 41 prior inspections on record. NY NY Pizza's emergency closure for rodent and fly activity this week is the kind of finding that follows a long paper trail, and that trail is 41 inspections deep.
Pho Quyen Cuisine has 35 prior inspections and produced the most high-severity violations of any facility this week, nine. Retro House has 37 prior inspections and this week added toxic chemicals improperly stored near food to its record.
At the newer end, Bowl Bar has 20 prior inspections and Surfside Cafe at Adventure Island also has 20. Both drew parasite destruction failures this week, and neither has the long institutional history that might explain accumulated neglect. The Courtyard by Marriott has 19 prior inspections and five high-severity violations this week, including no person in charge at a hotel food operation serving guests who have no alternative kitchen.
Zagora Cafe, emergency-closed July 16 for rodent activity, does not appear in the high-severity violation data for this week. Its inspection record and violation count from the closure visit had not been made available in state records as of publication.
