TAMPA, FL. Inspectors found eight high-severity violations in a single visit to Temak House Sushi Fusion on West Linebaugh Avenue during the week of May 18, leading a stretch in which state inspectors documented 82 high-severity violations across 15 Tampa restaurants.
At Temak House, the list was sweeping. Inspectors found no employee health policy, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, inadequate shellfish identification records, improper handwashing technique, and two separate citations for improperly stored or improperly identified toxic chemicals near food preparation areas. There was also no person in charge present or performing duties at the time of the inspection.
The Violations
New Bamboo Express on Kelly Road followed with seven high-severity violations. Inspectors there found no person in charge, no employee health policy, no consumer advisory, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. They also documented inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique, meaning the restaurant lacked both the infrastructure for proper hand hygiene and the practice of it.
Grand Hacienda on Sheldon Road drew six high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, no shellfish traceability records, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. Inspectors also flagged improper sewage or wastewater disposal, one of the more acute intermediate violations on record this week.
Namaste Express on Preserve Walk Lane was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, a violation that carries distinct traceability risk. The facility also had no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and a citation for time as a public health control not properly used.
One Family Korean Restaurant on Hillsborough Avenue was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperature alongside five other high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, and no consumer advisory. Improperly maintained toilet facilities rounded out the intermediate findings.
GrillSmith Carrollwood on North Dale Mabry presented a combination inspectors flag as particularly serious: food not cooked to required minimum temperature and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Both violations involve the survival of live pathogens or parasites in food served to customers. Inspectors also found no person in charge, inadequate shellfish records, no consumer advisory, and improper sewage disposal.
KPOP Food on East 7th Avenue was cited for inadequate shellfish identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also noted single-use items being improperly reused.
Rasoi Indian Cuisine on East 8th Avenue drew a citation this week that appeared at no other facility in the roundup: no allergen awareness demonstrated. The restaurant also had no employee health policy, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory.
Tikka Masalaa on West Hillsborough was cited for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, toxic chemicals improperly stored, improper handwashing, inadequate shellfish records, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also noted inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment, a finding that compounds the food quality violation.
Acropolis Greek Taverna on East 7th Avenue was cited for time as a public health control not properly used, inadequate handwashing facilities, no employee health policy, inadequate shellfish records, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also found improper sewage disposal and single-use items being reused.
El Puerto Restaurant and Grill on East 5th Avenue had no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, no shellfish traceability records, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Improperly used wiping cloths and inadequate toilet facilities were also documented.
2 Alex's on West Waters Avenue was cited for no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory. Improperly maintained toilet facilities were also flagged.
Samurai Blue on North Dale Mabry drew one high-severity citation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and one intermediate for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned. Both involve the same core failure: surfaces that come into direct contact with food are not being adequately sanitized between uses.
Mandy's Restaurant on West Waters Avenue was cited for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, along with an intermediate ventilation violation.
Senor Rocoto on Hanley Road drew two high-severity violations: no employee health policy and improper handwashing technique.
What These Violations Mean
The shellfish traceability citation appeared at eight facilities this week, including Temak House, New Bamboo Express, Grand Hacienda, GrillSmith Carrollwood, KPOP Food, Rasoi Indian Cuisine, Tikka Masalaa, Acropolis Greek Taverna, El Puerto, and 2 Alex's. Oysters, clams, and mussels are commonly consumed raw or lightly cooked, meaning any pathogens present survive to the table. Without shellfish identification tags, there is no way to trace an illness back to a harvest location or supplier if a customer gets sick.
The no consumer advisory violation, which appeared at twelve of the fifteen facilities, is directly linked to that traceability gap. Customers with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, and the elderly face elevated risk from raw or undercooked proteins, and without a posted advisory, they have no way to make an informed choice.
The food from an unapproved source citation at Namaste Express is a different category of concern entirely. Food that bypasses USDA or FDA inspection has no documented chain of custody. If a customer becomes ill, there is no supplier record to pull, no lot number to cross-reference, no recall to issue.
The combination of food not cooked to minimum temperature and parasite destruction procedures not followed at GrillSmith Carrollwood represents two overlapping pathogen risks in a single kitchen. Salmonella in undercooled poultry and live parasites in improperly handled fish are each independently capable of causing serious illness. Finding both violations in the same inspection means neither safeguard was functioning.
The Longer Record
Several facilities flagged this week carry inspection histories that stretch back dozens of visits. Senor Rocoto on Hanley Road has 39 prior inspections on record, as does Tikka Masalaa on West Hillsborough. Both facilities returned high-severity violations this week, suggesting persistent compliance gaps across long operating histories.
2 Alex's on West Waters Avenue has 37 prior inspections on record and drew six high-severity violations this week, including the shellfish traceability failure and no consumer advisory, both of which are recurring categories across Tampa's inspection record. Mandy's Restaurant, with 34 prior inspections, and One Family Korean Restaurant, with 31, also returned high-severity citations this week.
Rasoi Indian Cuisine has 32 prior inspections and produced the week's only allergen awareness citation. Acropolis Greek Taverna, also at 32, added sewage disposal and single-use item reuse to its record.
KPOP Food presents a different data point. The Ybor City restaurant has only 9 prior inspections on record, the fewest of any facility in this week's roundup, and it still drew six high-severity violations, including inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and single-use items being reused. A facility accumulating that severity of citations that early in its inspection history is worth watching.
GrillSmith Carrollwood has 25 prior inspections on record. The parasite destruction and undercooking violations documented this week were not its first high-severity findings.
Rasoi's no allergen awareness citation remains the only one of its kind in this week's data.