TAMPA, FL. Lameizi Hot Pot and BBQ on East Fowler Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source during a state inspection this week, a violation that puts every dish on the menu in question because there is no way to trace where the ingredients came from if a customer gets sick.
That citation was one of nine high-severity violations inspectors documented at Lameizi during the week of October 12, 2026. The same inspection found food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no person in charge present or performing duties.
Lameizi was not alone.
The Violations
Jerk Hut Island Grille and Beach Club on East Fowler Avenue matched Lameizi's nine high-severity citations. Inspectors found no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, and inadequate shellfish traceability records, among others.
The employee illness violations at Jerk Hut are the kind that public health officials call outbreak enablers. A worker who does not report symptoms and continues handling food is the most direct route from a sick person to a customer's plate.
Ricky's Cuban Cafe on Ehrlich Road also drew nine high-severity citations. Inspectors cited employees for not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing, and improper technique even when handwashing was attempted. The inspection also found no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
Golden Egg Cafe on North Dale Mabry Highway logged eight high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and toxic substances improperly stored or used. Inspectors also noted no person in charge present.
Honest Indian Vegetarian Restaurant on East Fowler Avenue drew eight high-severity citations despite serving no meat. Inspectors found food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, required procedures for specialized processes not followed, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Sushi Yama on East Adamo Drive was cited for seven high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the infrastructure to wash hands properly was not in place, and inadequate shellfish traceability records. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
China 1 on East Fowler Avenue drew seven high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and improper sewage disposal. Inspectors also found no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Bayamo En Coche Grill on West Waters Avenue was cited for seven high-severity violations on only its second inspection on record. No employee health policy, no illness reporting, improper handwashing, inadequate shellfish records, and improperly sanitized food contact surfaces were all documented.
China Garden on North Dale Mabry Highway drew seven high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, a citation that applies when raw fish or pork is served without the freezing or cooking protocols required to kill parasites like Anisakis or Trichinella.
IHOP on East Bearss Avenue was cited for six high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and single-use items being reused. Inspectors also found food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Klas LA on North 30th Street drew five high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and improper sewage disposal. Inspectors also found single-use items being reused.
Riverview Fresh Cuisine on East Adamo Drive was cited for five high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also found multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Shanghai Dumpling House on East Fowler Avenue drew five high-severity violations, including improper time-as-public-health-control procedures, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
China Latina on East Busch Boulevard was cited for five high-severity violations including no employee health policy, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and single-use items being reused. Inspectors also noted equipment in poor repair.
Yummy House China Bistro on East Hillsborough Avenue drew three high-severity violations, the lowest count among the 15 facilities flagged this week.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-sources citations at Lameizi, Jerk Hut, Golden Egg Cafe, and China 1 are among the most consequential violations inspectors can write. When ingredients enter a kitchen outside the licensed supply chain, there is no documentation trail. If a customer falls ill, investigators cannot identify the farm, the processor, or the distributor. The food has bypassed USDA and FDA safety inspections entirely.
The employee illness violations at Jerk Hut, Ricky's Cuban Cafe, Golden Egg Cafe, Honest Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, Sushi Yama, IHOP, and Bayamo En Coche Grill represent a different category of risk. Norovirus can be shed by a worker who feels only mildly unwell, and a single infected employee touching ready-to-eat food can trigger an outbreak affecting dozens of customers. The violation is not theoretical. It is the documented mechanism behind the majority of multi-victim restaurant outbreaks in the United States.
Shellfish traceability failures appeared at Lameizi, Jerk Hut, Ricky's Cuban Cafe, Golden Egg Cafe, Sushi Yama, China 1, Bayamo En Coche Grill, China Garden, and China Latina. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, which means no heat kill step exists to neutralize Vibrio or hepatitis A. The shellfish tag requirement exists specifically so that a contaminated harvest can be traced and recalled before more people are exposed.
The undercooking violations at Lameizi, Golden Egg Cafe, Honest Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, and Klas LA document something simpler but equally serious. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A thermometer reading of 150 degrees on a chicken breast is not a minor shortfall. It is a serving temperature at which pathogens remain viable.
The Longer Record
Riverview Fresh Cuisine on East Adamo Drive carries 70 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Five high-severity violations on an inspection at a location that has been through 70 prior visits is a different kind of finding than the same violations at a new restaurant.
Jerk Hut Island Grille and Shanghai Dumpling House each have 41 prior inspections. Jerk Hut's nine high-severity violations this week, including the absence of any employee illness reporting system, are documented against a history that stretches back more than four decades of state oversight. Honest Indian Vegetarian Restaurant has 43 prior inspections, Yummy House China Bistro has 50, and China Garden has 29.
Ricky's Cuban Cafe has 31 prior inspections on record, as does Golden Egg Cafe. Both drew nine and eight high-severity violations respectively this week, including handwashing failures and illness-reporting gaps that are among the most basic requirements in food service.
Bayamo En Coche Grill is on its second inspection. Seven high-severity violations in two inspections, including no employee health policy and no illness reporting procedures, means the facility has not established the foundational safety systems that experienced operators are expected to maintain across dozens of visits. China Garden's parasite destruction citation this week remains unresolved in the public record.
