TAMPA, FL. Inspectors cited Nueva Cantina at 10033 E. Adamo Drive for nine high-severity violations in a single visit during the week of April 28, the highest total of any facility inspected in Tampa that week, with findings that included toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, food from unapproved sources, and inadequate shellfish traceability records.
The visit also turned up improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items. Two separate chemical violations appeared in the same inspection: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Two restaurants were emergency-closed that week before inspectors ever got to Nueva Cantina's violations. Rocky's Tacos at 1201 W. Hillsborough Ave. was ordered shut on April 30 for roach activity. La Ceibena at 8806 W. Flora St. had been closed the day before, on April 29, for the same reason.
The Violations
Nuevo Asados al Carbon at 7212 N. Armenia Ave. came in second with seven high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish records, improperly stored toxic chemicals, no consumer advisory, and improper handwashing technique. Inspectors also noted no written employee health policy at the Armenia Avenue location.
Jazzy's BBQ at 5703 W. Waters Ave. drew six high-severity violations, including food found in poor condition or adulterated, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inspectors also cited an improper sewage or wastewater disposal violation at the intermediate level, one of the more unusual findings in this week's round of inspections.
China Wok at 8412 N. Armenia Ave. and China Yuan Restaurant at 8502 N. Armenia Ave., located less than a block apart on the same street, each received six high-severity violations in the same inspection week. Both were cited for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory. China Yuan was also cited for food from an unapproved source.
Thomas P's Sports Bar and Patio at 12836 Henderson Road produced one of the week's more specific food-safety findings: inspectors cited the bar for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish and for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Both violations carry direct illness risk. Thomas P's also had no consumer advisory and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Kelp Sushi Joint at 6507 W. Waters Ave. was cited for five high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for proper hand hygiene was not in place. Inspectors also found a person in charge not present or not performing duties, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw items. For a sushi restaurant, the combination of no adequate handwashing station and no consumer advisory for raw fish is notable.
Melting Pot Tampa at 13164 N. Dale Mabry was cited for five high-severity violations, including time as a public health control not properly used. At a fondue restaurant where diners cook food tableside, that violation carries particular weight: if the facility is relying on time rather than temperature to keep food safe and that system is not being followed correctly, the risk falls directly on the customer.
Sugar Wing at 12004 Anderson Rd. had five high-severity violations, including a person in charge not present, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and food from an unapproved source. Jerk Hut Island Grille and Beach Club at 1241 E. Fowler Ave. also had no person in charge and an employee not reporting illness symptoms, along with no consumer advisory.
Nicki's Omelette and Grill at 6805 W. Hillsborough Ave. was cited for required procedures for specialized processes not followed, a violation that applies when a kitchen uses smoking, curing, fermenting, reduced-oxygen packaging, or similar methods without the precise controls those processes require. The diner was also cited for an employee not reporting illness symptoms and inadequate toilet facilities.
Hong Kong Restaurant at 128 W. Fletcher Ave., Kuchi Sushi and Hibachi at 9206 Anderson Rd., Taqueria Emanuel at 2800 N. McDill Ave., and Iavarone's Restaurant at 3617 W. Humphrey St. each received four high-severity violations. Hong Kong Restaurant was cited for time as a public health control not properly used. Taqueria Emanuel had food in poor condition or adulterated. Iavarone's was cited for both no person in charge and no employee health policy in the same visit.
What These Violations Mean
The shellfish traceability citation appeared at nine of the fifteen facilities this week, making it the single most common high-severity finding in Tampa's inspection round. When a restaurant cannot produce adequate shell stock identification records for oysters, clams, or mussels, there is no chain of custody if a customer gets sick. Inspectors cited this violation at Nueva Cantina, Nuevo Asados al Carbon, Jazzy's BBQ, China Wok, Nicki's Omelette and Grill, Thomas P's Sports Bar, Hong Kong Restaurant, Kuchi Sushi and Hibachi, and Iavarone's Restaurant. Shellfish are consumed raw or lightly cooked, and Vibrio, norovirus, and hepatitis A are all associated with contaminated shellfish.
The food from unapproved source violation, cited at Nueva Cantina, Nuevo Asados al Carbon, China Yuan Restaurant, and Sugar Wing, means the supply chain for some portion of those kitchens' inventory cannot be verified. When food bypasses USDA and FDA inspection channels, there is no safety audit before it reaches the customer, and no traceability if an outbreak is traced back to a specific ingredient.
The absence of an employee health policy, cited at Nuevo Asados al Carbon, China Wok, China Yuan Restaurant, Hong Kong Restaurant, Kuchi Sushi and Hibachi, Taqueria Emanuel, Iavarone's Restaurant, and Sugar Wing, is not a paperwork issue. Without a written policy, there is no formal mechanism requiring sick employees to stay home or report symptoms to management. Norovirus can be transmitted by a single infected food worker to dozens of customers in a single service shift.
At Thomas P's Sports Bar, the parasite destruction failure is specific: fish served raw or undercooked must be frozen to a precise temperature for a defined period to kill parasites including Anisakis. If that step is skipped, customers eating undercooked fish have no protection. The same visit also found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that allows Salmonella in poultry and E. coli in ground beef to survive to the plate.
The Longer Record
Jerk Hut Island Grille and Beach Club carries the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week: 40 prior inspections on record. The Fowler Avenue restaurant still had a person in charge not present and an employee not reporting illness symptoms when inspectors visited. Forty inspections and the management infrastructure failures are still appearing in the record.
China Yuan Restaurant has 37 prior inspections on record and was still cited for food from an unapproved source alongside five other high-severity violations this week. Kelp Sushi Joint has 36 prior inspections and was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities. Kuchi Sushi and Hibachi has 34 inspections on record. None of those histories suggest the violations found this week were aberrations.
Jazzy's BBQ has 30 prior inspections and China Wok also has 30. Both were cited for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces this week. Nuevo Asados al Carbon and Taqueria Emanuel each have 29 prior inspections. Nicki's Omelette and Grill and Hong Kong Restaurant each have 28. Iavarone's Restaurant has 28 as well.
Thomas P's Sports Bar and Patio has 18 prior inspections and Sugar Wing has 17, making them among the newer locations on this list. Sugar Wing had food from an unapproved source and no person in charge on record in a facility that has been through fewer than 20 inspections. The two emergency-closed restaurants, Rocky's Tacos and La Ceibena, were not among the 15 facilities with detailed violation records in this week's data, and the full prior inspection histories for those two locations were not available at the time of publication.