TAMPA, FL. Circles Bistro on North Dale Mabry Highway drew six high-severity violations during the week of May 11, the highest single-facility count among 15 Tampa restaurants flagged by state inspectors, with citations including food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no documentation to trace the shellfish being served.
The bistro's inspector also noted that the person in charge was not present or not performing duties, that at least one employee had not reported illness symptoms as required, and that handwashing technique was improper. Two intermediate violations, covering multi-use utensils and toilet facility maintenance, rounded out the visit.
The Violations
Just down the same stretch of Dale Mabry, Pei Wei Fresh Kitchen was cited for five high-severity violations. Two of those involved chemicals: inspectors found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The same visit turned up an employee illness reporting failure and improper handwashing technique.
Pei Wei also had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and inspectors noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Madison 2.0 on North Howard Avenue matched Pei Wei's five high-severity count. Inspectors found no person in charge, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, missing shellfish identification records, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. An intermediate violation for inadequate ventilation and lighting was also noted.
True Food Kitchen at Midtown Drive drew five high-severity violations as well, including an employee illness reporting failure and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The Midtown location also lacked a consumer advisory and had no person in charge performing duties.
Predalina on East Cumberland Avenue also reached five high-severity citations. Beyond the missing shellfish records and absent consumer advisory, inspectors cited the restaurant for time as a public health control not properly used, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without the required time documentation that substitutes for active temperature monitoring.
Chemical Storage and Food Source Failures
Three facilities this week were cited for improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals. Woods Bar and Grille on Sheldon Road carried four high-severity violations including the chemical storage failure alongside food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory, and no written employee health policy. The inspector also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate toilet facilities as intermediate violations.
Compass Group USA Inc. on Henderson Road drew the same four high-severity categories as Woods: no employee health policy, unsanitized food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources turned up at three separate facilities this week. Monserrate Rest Bar and Grill on West Hillsborough Avenue was cited for that violation alongside missing shellfish records, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
China Yuan Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue was also cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, along with improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Pane Rustica on South MacDill Avenue rounded out the unapproved-source citations. The bakery-cafe was also flagged for no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory.
Shellfish, Parasites, and Handwashing Gaps
Shellfish traceability failures were the single most common high-severity violation this week, appearing at seven of the fifteen facilities: Circles Bistro, Madison 2.0, True Food Kitchen, Predalina, Bubba's 33, Monserrate, and Osaka Sushi and Grill.
Bubba's 33 on South Falkenburg Road added a violation that appeared nowhere else in this week's data: parasite destruction procedures not followed. That citation, paired with the missing shellfish records and no consumer advisory, signals a facility serving raw or undercooked animal proteins without the required handling safeguards.
Westchase Golf Club on Westchase Golf Drive was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities alongside improper handwashing technique, meaning inspectors found both the infrastructure and the practice to be deficient at the same visit.
China Wok on South US Highway 301 drew four high-severity violations built around employee illness policy failures: no written health policy and an employee not reporting illness symptoms, combined with improper handwashing technique and no consumer advisory.
Osaka Sushi and Grill on North Dale Mabry Highway carried the most intermediate violations of any facility this week, four in total, covering multi-use utensils, wiping cloths, toilet facilities, and equipment in poor repair or condition. Its three high-severity violations included missing shellfish records and improper handwashing technique.
Fryer House on North Nebraska Avenue was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique as high-severity violations, alongside improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate ventilation as intermediate citations.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread high-severity violation this week, missing shellfish identification records at seven facilities, is not a paperwork technicality. When someone gets sick from a contaminated oyster or clam, investigators trace the illness back through the harvest tag to identify the source and pull affected product from the market. Without those records at Circles Bistro, Madison 2.0, True Food Kitchen, Predalina, Bubba's 33, Monserrate, and Osaka Sushi and Grill, that chain of accountability breaks entirely.
Illness reporting failures at Circles Bistro, Pei Wei, True Food Kitchen, Predalina, and China Wok represent a direct transmission route. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads from an infected food handler to customers within a single shift. A written health policy and a reporting requirement are the first line of defense, and both were absent or inadequate at multiple locations this week.
The chemical storage violations at Pei Wei, Woods Bar and Grille, Compass Group, Monserrate, and China Yuan carry a different category of risk. Improperly labeled or stored chemicals near food or food contact surfaces can cause acute poisoning, not the slow onset of a bacterial illness but an immediate medical emergency. That violation appeared at five facilities in a single week.
The unapproved food source citations at Monserrate, China Yuan, and Pane Rustica mean inspectors found product that bypassed USDA or FDA inspection. There is no way to know where that food came from, how it was handled before it arrived, or whether it carried Listeria, Salmonella, or other pathogens. If a customer becomes ill, there is no supply chain to investigate.
The Longer Record
China Yuan Restaurant carries the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 38 prior inspections on record, and still drew four high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source. Circles Bistro, with 34 prior inspections, produced the week's highest violation count. Pane Rustica has 31 prior inspections on file, as does Osaka Sushi and Grill. Monserrate has 29. These are not new operations encountering the inspection process for the first time.
Woods Bar and Grille and Westchase Golf Club each have 27 prior inspections, and both appeared this week with four high-severity violations. Compass Group on Henderson Road has 24 prior inspections and matched that same count.
The newer facilities tell a different story. Fryer House on North Nebraska Avenue has only 6 prior inspections on record and is already accumulating handwashing infrastructure failures and sewage disposal violations. True Food Kitchen at Midtown Drive has 9 prior inspections and drew five high-severity citations, including an employee illness reporting failure and improperly stored toxic substances.
Madison 2.0 on Howard Avenue has 10 prior inspections. It was cited this week for missing shellfish records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and no person in charge, the same management failure that state data links to a threefold increase in critical violations at any facility.
Bubba's 33, with 11 prior inspections, is the only facility this week cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed. Whether that violation appears again on the next inspection is an open question.