TAMPA, FL. Carrabba's Italian Grill on North Dale Mabry Highway drew 10 high-severity violations during a single state inspection this week, the highest total among 15 Tampa-area restaurants cited for serious food safety failures between October 16 and October 22, 2026.
The violations at the 11435 N Dale Mabry location covered nearly every layer of a functioning kitchen. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, inadequate shell stock identification records, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and improper use of time as a public health control. The person in charge was cited for not being present or not performing duties. An employee was cited for not reporting illness symptoms.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Handwashing technique was flagged as inadequate. The total: 10 high-severity citations, 3 intermediate, in a single visit.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop on Northdale Boulevard followed with 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no written employee health policy, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. Parasite destruction procedures were not being followed, a critical failure for any menu that includes raw or lightly prepared fish.
Ricky's Cuban Cafe on Ehrlich Road also drew 9 high-severity citations. Inspectors cited employees for both inadequate handwashing and improper handwashing technique, a distinction that matters: one means workers skipped the sink, the other means they went through the motions without removing pathogens. Inspectors also flagged no allergen awareness demonstrated, a violation that affects the 32 million Americans living with food allergies.
Origami Sushi on West Hillsborough Avenue drew 7 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food areas, food from unapproved sources, and inadequate cold-holding equipment flagged at the intermediate level. A sushi restaurant with no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items and sourcing from uninspected suppliers presents a specific and layered set of risks.
Nordstrom Bazille inside the Westshore mall also drew 7 high-severity violations. Among them: food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors noted multi-use utensils not properly cleaned at the intermediate level.
Bayamo en Coche Grill on West Waters Avenue drew 7 high-severity violations including no employee health policy, no person in charge, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. This location has only 2 prior inspections on record.
Trident on West Fletcher Avenue drew 6 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, no person in charge, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory. Improper use of wiping cloths and inadequate sanitizer concentration were cited at the intermediate level.
Farandulero Pizzeria on Gun Highway drew 6 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing facilities and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal was cited at the intermediate level. The pizzeria has only 4 prior inspections on record.
Table 22 on East Busch Boulevard drew 5 high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, food from unapproved sources, and improper sewage disposal flagged at the intermediate level.
Zen Pho and Noodles Tampa on West Waters Avenue drew 5 high-severity violations including toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and inadequate cold-holding equipment at the intermediate level.
Happy Fish Peruvian Fusion on North Armenia Avenue drew 5 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and single-use items being improperly reused, a citation that means disposable gloves, cups, or utensils designed for one use were being used again.
Riverview Fresh Cuisine on East Adamo Drive drew 5 high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Hilton Garden Inn Brandon on Highland Manor Drive drew 5 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, and inadequate handwashing facilities. There were no intermediate violations.
Domoshi on South Dale Mabry Highway drew 3 high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Renee's Bistro on Boy Scout Boulevard was the only facility among the 15 to draw zero high-severity violations. Inspectors cited two intermediate violations: improper sewage or wastewater disposal and improper sanitizing solution or procedures.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity citation this week was improper handwashing technique, documented at Carrabba's, Capriotti's, Ricky's Cuban Cafe, Origami Sushi, Nordstrom Bazille, Bayamo en Coche Grill, Farandulero Pizzeria, Happy Fish Peruvian Fusion, Riverview Fresh Cuisine, Domoshi, and Zen Pho and Noodles. The distinction between inadequate handwashing and improper technique is meaningful: one means the step was skipped entirely, the other means it was performed incorrectly. Either way, pathogens that should have been removed from workers' hands were not.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Carrabba's, Capriotti's, Origami Sushi, Nordstrom Bazille, and Table 22, means the supply chain behind those ingredients was never verified by a USDA or FDA-regulated inspector. If a customer gets sick and investigators need to trace the source, there is no paper trail to follow.
Inadequate shell stock identification records appeared at seven facilities this week: Carrabba's, Capriotti's, Ricky's Cuban Cafe, Origami Sushi, Nordstrom Bazille, Bayamo en Coche Grill, Farandulero Pizzeria, Table 22, and Zen Pho and Noodles. Oysters, clams, and mussels are high-risk foods eaten raw or barely cooked. Without harvest tags on file, there is no way to identify the source bed if a Vibrio or norovirus cluster emerges after service.
Three facilities, Capriotti's, Farandulero Pizzeria, and Ricky's Cuban Cafe, were cited for failures related to parasites or raw food disclosures. Parasite destruction requires documented freezing protocols for certain fish. Without them, parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm can survive into a finished dish. No consumer advisory compounds the problem: customers who are pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised have no way to make an informed choice.
The Longer Record
Riverview Fresh Cuisine has 70 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Despite that volume of oversight, inspectors this week still documented food in poor condition, unsanitized food contact surfaces, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and improper handwashing technique. Seventy inspections and those violations remain in the record.
Ricky's Cuban Cafe has 32 prior inspections, and this week drew 9 high-severity citations including dual handwashing failures and no allergen awareness. Origami Sushi has 31 prior inspections and this week drew 7 high-severity citations including toxic chemicals near food and unapproved sourcing. Both facilities have been inspected dozens of times, and both drew some of the highest violation counts of the week.
The contrast with newer locations is notable. Bayamo en Coche Grill has only 2 prior inspections on record and already drew 7 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, no person in charge, and unclean food contact surfaces. Farandulero Pizzeria has 4 prior inspections and drew 6 high-severity citations including inadequate handwashing infrastructure and parasite destruction failures.
Carrabba's on Dale Mabry has 28 prior inspections on record. This week's 10 high-severity citations, including food cooked below required minimum temperatures and sourcing from uninspected suppliers, represent the highest single-visit high-severity count among all 15 facilities reviewed. Whether those violations were corrected on-site or remain open is not reflected in the inspection record published this week.
