TAMPA, FL. La Michoacana Ice Cream 3 on East Fowler Avenue drew eight high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Fourteen other Tampa restaurants were cited for high-severity violations during the same seven-day stretch.
The Week's Worst
La Michoacana's eight high-severity citations also included improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. That is a facility failing on sourcing, cooking, cleaning, and disclosure in a single visit.
Wha Gwaan Jamaica Jamaica on West Hillsborough Avenue matched that tally with eight high-severity violations of its own. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, and inadequate handwashing facilities. Food was also cited as being in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated.
Westin Tampa Bay Aqua on Courtney Campbell Causeway was emergency-closed on May 7 after inspectors found no warewashing facilities on site. The hotel restaurant also drew high-severity violations for employees not reporting illness symptoms and food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
Le Peep Tampa on West Hillsborough Avenue was cited for six high-severity violations, among them no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also noted inadequate shell stock identification records and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Two intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Pal Campo Restaurant on Anderson Road drew six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved or unknown source, no person in charge, and improper handwashing technique. Inadequate shell stock records and no consumer advisory rounded out the high-severity list.
Kang's Garden on West Linebaugh Avenue also reached six high-severity violations. Inspectors cited food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards alongside the absent person in charge, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Minano Ramen on Sheldon Road drew five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, inadequate shell stock identification records, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate toilet facilities as intermediate violations.
Take 5 Cafe on West Martin Luther King Boulevard was cited for five high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms, food in poor condition, inadequate shell stock records, and no consumer advisory. Equipment in poor repair was among the intermediate findings.
Boozy Pig on West Cypress Street drew five high-severity violations with no intermediate violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Bubba's 33 on South Falkenburg Road was cited for four high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, inadequate shell stock identification records, no consumer advisory, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Charley's Cheesesteaks Wings on West Hillsborough Avenue drew three high-severity violations including no approved potable water supply, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also cited as an intermediate violation.
China Dragon on Gunn Highway was cited for four high-severity violations, among them time as a public health control not properly used, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique.
Mandola's Italian Kitchen on North Dale Mabry Highway drew four high-severity violations including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment was among the intermediate findings.
Sweet Bun TPA on East Fowler Avenue was cited for four high-severity violations including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved or unknown source, and inadequate shell stock identification records.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe on West Hillsborough Avenue drew two high-severity violations for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, plus improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate finding.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at La Michoacana Ice Cream 3, Pal Campo Restaurant, Boozy Pig, and Sweet Bun TPA, means inspectors could not verify that the food passed through any licensed distributor or USDA or FDA inspection point. If a customer gets sick, there is no supply chain record to trace. Listeria and Salmonella are the primary pathogens that routine federal inspection is designed to catch before food reaches a kitchen.
No employee health policy, cited at La Michoacana, Wha Gwaan Jamaica Jamaica, and Sweet Bun TPA, means there is no written protocol requiring sick workers to report symptoms or stay home. Norovirus spreads through a single infected food handler and can sicken dozens of customers within hours. A written policy is the first line of defense, and these three facilities had none.
Parasite destruction procedures not followed, cited at Bubba's 33, is a violation tied specifically to raw or undercooked fish, pork, and wild game. Parasites like Anisakis survive in fish unless the flesh is frozen to a required temperature for a required duration before service. Without that step, a customer eating undercooked fish is consuming whatever the fish carried.
No approved potable water supply, cited at Charley's Cheesesteaks Wings, is among the most acute violations in this week's data. Water used in food preparation, handwashing, and equipment cleaning that does not come from an approved source can carry E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and Legionella. Every handwashing attempt, every rinsed surface, every pot of water in that kitchen is suspect until the violation is corrected.
The Longer Record
Wha Gwaan Jamaica Jamaica on West Hillsborough Avenue has 37 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Returning this week with eight high-severity violations, including no person in charge and no employee health policy, means those problems are appearing against a backdrop of decades of state oversight.
China Dragon has 29 prior inspections on record. Kang's Garden and Boozy Pig each carry 24. Take 5 Cafe has 22, and both Pal Campo Restaurant and Mandola's Italian Kitchen show 20. These are not new restaurants encountering the inspection system for the first time.
La Michoacana Ice Cream 3 has only 6 prior inspections on record. Minano Ramen has 7. Both are relatively new to the inspection record, and both drew five or more high-severity violations this week. Sweet Bun TPA, with 11 prior inspections, sourced food from an unapproved supplier and had no employee health policy in place.
The Westin Tampa Bay Aqua, emergency-closed on May 7, has 32 prior inspections on record. The closure came for lack of warewashing facilities, a fundamental infrastructure failure at a hotel restaurant with more than three decades of state inspection history behind it.