TAMPA, FL. State inspectors cited Nueva Cantina on East Adamo Drive for nine high-severity violations in a single visit during the week of April 30, the highest count of any facility inspected in Tampa that week, including citations for food from unapproved or unknown sources, toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, and a failure to maintain required shellfish traceability records.
That inspection was one of 15 high-severity findings across Tampa between April 30 and May 6, 2026. One restaurant was emergency-closed. The week's violations touched nearly every category of critical food safety failure: sick workers, unverified food sources, uncooked proteins, and chemicals stored alongside ingredients.
The Violations
Nueva Cantina's nine high-severity citations included improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and the failure to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. Inspectors also flagged that time was not being properly used as a public health control, meaning food was held in the temperature danger zone without the required tracking procedures.
Three facilities on East Fowler Avenue were cited in the same inspection period. La Michoacana Ice Cream 3 at 1514 East Fowler drew eight high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
China Buffet at 1245 East Fowler also received eight high-severity citations, among them no person in charge present or performing duties, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and inadequate shellfish identification records. Jerk Hut Island Grille and Beach Club at 1241 East Fowler, directly next door, received three high-severity violations including no person in charge and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Wha Gwaan Jamaica Jamaica on West Hillsborough Avenue collected eight high-severity violations, the most concerning of which involved employees not reporting symptoms of illness and inadequate handwashing facilities. Inspectors also cited food in poor condition, mislabeled or adulterated, alongside failures in handwashing technique and food contact surface sanitation.
Jazzys BBQ on West Waters Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. That last finding places a facility in a category where fecal contamination of food surfaces becomes a documented risk.
Le Peep Tampa on West Hillsborough Avenue was cited for six high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper sewage disposal. Mi Tierra Latina at 6802 West Hillsborough received six high-severity citations including no employee health policy, food in poor condition, and inadequate ventilation alongside unclean multi-use utensils.
Lameizi Hot Pot and BBQ on East Fowler Avenue was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperature and inadequate handwashing facilities, among six high-severity violations total. China Yuan Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue drew six high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Winners Sports Grill on Ehrlich Road received six high-severity citations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate shellfish records. Tampa Tap Room on North Dale Mabry Highway was flagged for food from unapproved sources, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and inadequate shellfish identification, among five high-severity violations.
Nicki's Omelette and Grill on West Hillsborough Avenue drew five high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms and a failure to follow required procedures for specialized food processes. Tropical Smoothie Cafe on West Hillsborough Avenue was cited for five high-severity violations, among them parasite destruction procedures not followed and improper sewage disposal.
Breakfast House on East Sligh Avenue received one high-severity citation for food not cooked to required minimum temperature.
Rocky's Tacos at 1201 West Hillsborough Avenue was emergency-closed on April 30 for roach activity. No URL was provided for that facility in state records reviewed this week.
What These Violations Mean
The most acute danger documented this week was at facilities where sick employees are not required to report illness. Wha Gwaan Jamaica Jamaica, Le Peep Tampa, Winners Sports Grill, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe were all cited for employees not reporting symptoms of illness. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads directly from an infected food worker to every plate they touch. A single symptomatic employee working a full shift can expose dozens or hundreds of customers.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Nueva Cantina, La Michoacana Ice Cream 3, China Yuan Restaurant, and Tampa Tap Room, removes the traceability chain entirely. If a customer becomes ill after eating at one of those restaurants, investigators cannot trace the ingredient back to a farm, processor, or distributor. That means a contaminated batch, potentially affecting many restaurants, can go unidentified.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, documented at Nueva Cantina, China Buffet, Jazzys BBQ, and China Yuan Restaurant, represent a different category of risk. This is not a slow-developing bacterial hazard. Mislabeled or misplaced chemicals can cause acute poisoning in a single meal, and the symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and respiratory distress, can appear within minutes.
The shellfish traceability failures documented at Nueva Cantina, China Buffet, La Michoacana Ice Cream 3, Jazzys BBQ, Le Peep Tampa, Mi Tierra Latina, Winners Sports Grill, Tampa Tap Room, and Nicki's Omelette and Grill are particularly significant because oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw. Without harvest tags and dealer identification records on file, there is no way to link a Vibrio or hepatitis A case back to a specific shellfish lot, and no way to pull that lot from circulation before more people get sick.
The Longer Record
China Buffet on East Fowler has 50 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Eight high-severity violations in a single visit, after five decades of inspection contact with this location, is a pattern, not an anomaly. The same is true of Wha Gwaan Jamaica Jamaica and China Yuan Restaurant, each with 37 prior inspections, and Jerk Hut Island Grille, which has 40 inspections on record and still drew a finding for no person in charge this week.
Tampa Tap Room has 34 prior inspections and Jazzys BBQ has 30. Both were cited this week for food from unapproved sources or food in poor condition, violation types that suggest sourcing and receiving practices have not improved over a long inspection history.
The newer facilities tell a different story. Breakfast House on East Sligh has only 4 prior inspections and drew a single high-severity citation for undercooked food. Tropical Smoothie Cafe on West Hillsborough has 7 inspections on record and already carries citations for parasite destruction failures and improper sewage disposal. La Michoacana Ice Cream 3, with 6 prior inspections, accumulated eight high-severity violations including no allergen awareness and food from unapproved sources.
Lameizi Hot Pot and BBQ has 10 inspections on record. It was cited this week for no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food not cooked to minimum temperature. Whether that trajectory improves or continues is not yet clear from the record.
The Longer Record: Fowler Avenue Cluster
Three restaurants on the same stretch of East Fowler Avenue were inspected in the same week and all three received high-severity violations. China Buffet has 50 inspections behind it. Jerk Hut Island Grille has 40. Lameizi Hot Pot and BBQ has 10. The violations are different in type and severity, but the concentration of citations on a single commercial corridor in a single week is a fact the record shows without explanation.