TAMPA, FL. Rice and Spice on Sheldon Road drew six high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, the highest count among 15 Tampa-area restaurants that state inspectors flagged between May 27 and June 2, 2026.
The violations at the 11625 Sheldon Road location covered nearly every layer of food safety infrastructure: no written employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked food. No intermediate violations were noted. All six citations were high-severity.
That combination, no policy to keep sick workers home, no functioning handwashing setup, and surfaces carrying bacteria between dishes, is among the most dangerous configurations inspectors document.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
Food+Beer on West Hillsborough Avenue was cited for five high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked food. Inspectors also noted multi-use utensils that were not properly cleaned.
El Manjar Sabor Latino on North Armenia Avenue matched that count with five high-severity violations of its own, and one of them stood out: food from an unapproved or unknown source. Inspectors also documented improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. An employee illness reporting failure rounded out the list.
Pepper's Island Restaurant on East 4th Avenue drew four high-severity citations alongside four intermediate violations, the deepest combined total of the week. The high-severity findings included food in poor condition or adulterated, toxic chemicals improperly stored, inadequate shell stock records, and no employee health policy. Intermediate violations covered sewage disposal, utensil cleaning, ventilation, and toilet facilities.
3 Guys Caribbean Restaurant on East Hillsborough Avenue was cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored, inadequate shell stock records, improper handwashing technique, and no employee health policy. Three intermediate violations accompanied those findings, including improper sanitizing procedures and improper use of wiping cloths.
Yummy House China Bistro on East Hillsborough Avenue drew four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Fresh Bites on Countryway Boulevard presented a different set of concerns. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, inadequate shell stock records, and no consumer advisory. No intermediate violations were cited, but the absence of management oversight is notable.
Ybor Cigars Plus on East 7th Avenue was cited for three high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked food. Inspectors also noted improperly maintained toilet facilities.
Fat Rabbit Pub on Tampa Palms Boulevard drew three high-severity citations including food from an unapproved or unknown source, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also found single-use items being improperly reused.
Royal Palace Thai Restaurant on South Howard Avenue was cited for no employee health policy, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory. An intermediate violation for inadequate toilet facilities was also noted.
Samurai Blue on East 8th Avenue drew three high-severity violations: an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory. Improperly cleaned multi-use utensils were also cited.
Palihouse Hyde Park Village on West Swann Avenue was cited for no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no consumer advisory.
Kobe Japanese Steak House on North Dale Mabry drew two high-severity violations, improper handwashing technique and inadequate shell stock records, along with three intermediate violations including improper sewage or wastewater disposal and improperly used wiping cloths.
Rocca on West Palm Avenue and Ocho Trece Restaurant on West Kennedy Boulevard each drew two high-severity violations. Rocca's included an employee not reporting illness symptoms and no consumer advisory. Ocho Trece was cited for improper handwashing technique and inadequate shellfish traceability records.
What These Violations Mean
The most alarming cluster this week involves employee illness and handwashing failures appearing together at the same locations. At Rice and Spice, inspectors documented both an employee not reporting illness symptoms and a facility without adequate handwashing infrastructure. Those two violations in combination create a direct transmission route: a sick worker who cannot properly wash their hands and who is not required by written policy to stay home. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads primarily through exactly that scenario.
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation at El Manjar Sabor Latino and at Fat Rabbit Pub carries a different kind of risk. When food enters a restaurant through channels outside the regulated supply chain, there is no inspection record, no lot number, and no way to trace the source if a customer gets sick. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli have all been linked to uninspected food sources in outbreak investigations. If illness follows, investigators have nowhere to start.
Shellfish traceability failures appeared at six facilities this week, including Food+Beer, Pepper's Island, 3 Guys Caribbean, Yummy House China Bistro, Fresh Bites, Kobe Japanese Steak House, and Ocho Trece. Oysters, clams, and mussels are consumed raw or lightly cooked and are among the highest-risk foods served in restaurants. State rules require shellfish tags to be retained for 90 days so that a specific harvest lot can be recalled if illness is reported. Without those records, a norovirus or Vibrio outbreak tied to shellfish at any of those restaurants would be extraordinarily difficult to trace.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, documented at El Manjar Sabor Latino, Pepper's Island, 3 Guys Caribbean, Fat Rabbit Pub, and Royal Palace Thai, represent an acute rather than gradual risk. A mislabeled chemical bottle or a cleaner stored above a prep surface can cause poisoning in a single service shift.
The Longer Record
Yummy House China Bistro has the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week: 47 prior inspections on record. This week's findings, including no employee health policy and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, are not new categories of failure for a restaurant that has been inspected that many times.
Samurai Blue has 31 prior inspections on record and was again cited for employee illness reporting failures and improper handwashing this week. Royal Palace Thai has 26 prior inspections behind it, and El Manjar Sabor Latino carries 29. For both, this week's high-severity violations are additions to an already substantial record.
3 Guys Caribbean Restaurant has 23 prior inspections, and Kobe Japanese Steak House has 22. Both were back in the high-severity column this week, Kobe with a sewage disposal violation among its intermediate citations.
At the other end of the spectrum, Food+Beer has only two prior inspections on record, making this week's five high-severity violations a significant early signal. A restaurant that accumulates inadequate shellfish records, improper handwashing, and employee illness reporting failures within its first few inspections is not building a reassuring foundation.
Fresh Bites on Countryway Boulevard has 25 prior inspections on record and was still found without a person in charge present this week. CDC data consistently links the absence of active managerial control to higher rates of critical violations across a facility. That citation remains unresolved in the inspection record.