TAMPA, FL. Jalsa Indian Modern Kitchen on East Fowler Avenue had no person in charge on duty, no written employee health policy, workers not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and improper handwashing technique, all documented in a single inspection during the week of September 24. The total: 9 high-severity violations, no intermediate violations listed alongside them.
Anchor Bar Inc. on East Davis Boulevard matched that count, also drawing 9 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shell stock records, improper toxic chemical storage, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also cited the Davis Island bar for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods and for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
What Inspectors Found
Otsuka Ramen on North Dale Mabry drew 8 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improperly stored toxic chemicals, no consumer advisory, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. The facility also drew 4 intermediate violations.
Burger 21 Carrollwood on North Dale Mabry Highway logged 7 high-severity violations, including no approved potable water supply, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or waste water disposal at an intermediate level.
No approved potable water supply is among the more severe findings in the data this week. Non-potable water used in food preparation can carry E. coli, Giardia, Legionella, and Cryptosporidium.
Ro, Jekyll, Sesame on West Swann Avenue was cited for 6 high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The facility also had improperly reused single-use items at the intermediate level.
Sushi Alive on Race Track Road drew 6 high-severity violations. Among them: no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also cited improper sewage disposal and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils at intermediate levels.
New China on West Gandy Boulevard had 6 high-severity violations, including no written employee health policy, inadequate shell stock records, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no consumer advisory. Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces were also documented.
Garden Gyro's on East Busch Boulevard drew 5 high-severity violations: food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory. Improperly used wiping cloths and inadequate ventilation were cited at the intermediate level.
UptownJoes New York Diner on North Ashley Drive had 5 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no written employee health policy, inadequate shell stock records, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Inspectors cited inadequate toilet facilities at the intermediate level.
Ahi Asian Bistro on North Dale Mabry was cited for food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no allergen awareness. Inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment was noted at the intermediate level.
Doc B's Fresh Kitchen at WestShore Plaza drew 5 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
China Restaurant on Race Track Road was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
Cuban Breezes on West Hillsborough Avenue drew 4 high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improper handwashing technique. Inadequate toilet facilities and improperly used wiping cloths were cited at the intermediate level.
Pisco Bar and Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue and Tampa Bay Brewing Company Westchase on Monroe's Business Park each drew 2 high-severity violations. Pisco was cited for improperly stored toxic chemicals and no consumer advisory. Tampa Bay Brewing Company Westchase was cited for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory.
What These Violations Mean
The cluster of illness-reporting failures this week is the most acutely dangerous pattern in the data. At Jalsa Indian Modern Kitchen, Anchor Bar, Otsuka Ramen, Sushi Alive, Doc B's Fresh Kitchen, China Restaurant, and Ahi Asian Bistro, inspectors documented employees not reporting illness symptoms. Food workers who are sick and handling food are the single most documented cause of multi-victim outbreaks, particularly for norovirus, which can spread from a single infected worker to dozens of customers through contaminated surfaces or food.
The absence of a written employee health policy, cited at Jalsa, New China, and UptownJoes, compounds that risk. A written policy is what requires workers to report symptoms before they arrive for a shift. Without one, there is no documented standard for when a sick employee must stay home, and no accountability when they don't.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, documented at Jalsa, Anchor Bar, Ro Jekyll Sesame, Garden Gyro's, Ahi Asian Bistro, and Doc B's Fresh Kitchen, is a traceability problem as much as a safety one. When a customer gets sick and investigators need to trace the source of contaminated food, unapproved suppliers have no inspection records, no lot tracking, and no recall infrastructure. The chain of accountability breaks entirely.
The parasite destruction failures at Ro, Jekyll, Sesame and China Restaurant carry a specific risk that most diners don't consider. Fish served raw or undercooked, including sushi and ceviche preparations, requires prior freezing to kill parasites such as Anisakis. Without documented freezing logs, there is no way to verify that step happened.
The Longer Record
Jalsa Indian Modern Kitchen has accumulated 62 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Nine high-severity violations in a single visit, across a restaurant that inspectors have visited more than six dozen times, is a significant data point. The violations documented this week, including absent management, no health policy, and unapproved food sourcing, are foundational failures, not maintenance issues.
New China on West Gandy has 41 prior inspections on record. Pisco Bar and Restaurant has 51. Garden Gyro's on East Busch has 37, as does Tampa Bay Brewing Company Westchase. These are not new operations encountering early compliance challenges. They are established businesses with long inspection histories still drawing high-severity citations for violations like improperly stored chemicals, absent consumer advisories, and inadequate shell stock records.
Ro, Jekyll, Sesame on West Swann Avenue is the newest operation in the data, with only 9 prior inspections on record. It drew 6 high-severity violations in its most recent visit, including parasite destruction failures and unapproved food sourcing. That volume of serious violations early in a facility's inspection history stands out.
UptownJoes New York Diner has 39 prior inspections on record and drew a citation this week for no allergen awareness demonstrated. Allergen failures affect the 32 million Americans living with food allergies, and the violation means staff could not demonstrate knowledge of the major allergens present in menu items. That gap exists in a restaurant that has been inspected nearly 40 times.
