TAMPA, FL. Two Tampa restaurants were emergency-closed for roach activity within 24 hours of each other last week, while inspectors simultaneously documented nine high-severity violations at a Fowler Avenue Indian restaurant that has now been inspected 62 times.
Pepo's Café at 3879 Northdale Blvd was ordered shut on October 1 after inspectors found roach activity. Perry's BBQ Asian Grill at 8015 Citrus Park Town Center Mall was closed the day before, on September 30, for the same reason. Both closures came during a week in which 15 Tampa facilities drew high-severity citations from state inspectors.
The Week's Worst Findings
Jalsa Indian Modern Kitchen on Fowler Avenue led all facilities this week with nine high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having no person in charge performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique. They also documented food from an unapproved or unknown source, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and improper use of time as a public health control.
That is eight distinct high-severity categories at a single location in a single visit.
El Jefe Cafe on Gunn Highway drew eight high-severity and four intermediate violations. The citations included no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Senor Tequila Mexican Grill on Race Track Road also reached eight high-severity violations. Inspectors there found food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, inadequate shell stock identification, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, alongside the same cluster of illness-policy and handwashing failures.
Jerk Pit on Fletcher Avenue accumulated seven high-severity and five intermediate violations. Among the most serious: no approved potable water supply, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock identification, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. The absence of an approved water source is among the most acute violations inspectors can document.
Kikiriki on Fletcher Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing, food in poor condition, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also cited the facility for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
New China on Gandy Boulevard matched that total with six high-severity citations, including inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly.
Ro, Jekyll, Sesame on Swann Avenue drew four high-severity violations, two of which stand out: food from an unapproved or unknown source, and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Both citations involve fish served at a restaurant that also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Garden Gyro's on Busch Boulevard was cited for food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory, along with three intermediate violations.
Ahi Asian Bistro on Dale Mabry drew five high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Restaurant Milena Honduras on Fletcher Avenue was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no employee health policy, inadequate shell stock identification, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Minerva Indian Restaurant on Bruce B Downs Boulevard drew five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no consumer advisory, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, and no employee health policy.
Elev8 Fun at Citrus Park Mall drew five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no consumer advisory, inadequate shell stock identification, improper handwashing technique, and no employee health policy. The entertainment venue shares the Citrus Park address with Perry's BBQ Asian Grill, which was emergency-closed the day before.
Burger 21 Carrollwood on Dale Mabry drew four high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
New York New York Pizza on Dale Mabry drew four high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory, along with four intermediate violations.
Doc B's Fresh Kitchen at Westshore drew no high-severity violations, with a single intermediate citation for inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The illness-policy cluster is the most widespread pattern this week. Jalsa Indian Modern Kitchen, El Jefe Cafe, Senor Tequila, Jerk Pit, Kikiriki, New China, Restaurant Milena Honduras, Minerva Indian Restaurant, and Elev8 Fun were all cited for having no written employee health policy. That document is not paperwork for its own sake. Without it, a worker with Norovirus, Hepatitis A, or Salmonella has no formal instruction to stay home or report symptoms. Norovirus alone accounts for roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, and a single infected food handler can expose dozens of customers in a single shift.
The food-from-unapproved-source citations at Jalsa Indian Modern Kitchen, Garden Gyro's, Ahi Asian Bistro, and Ro, Jekyll, Sesame carry a different kind of risk. When food enters a kitchen through an uninspected supplier, there is no chain of documentation. If a customer gets sick, investigators cannot trace the product back to its origin, which means a contaminated batch can keep moving through the supply chain while the source goes unidentified.
Parasite destruction failures at Ro, Jekyll, Sesame and New York New York Pizza mean that fish served at those locations may not have been frozen to the temperatures required to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm. This is a particular concern when fish is served raw or lightly cooked and no consumer advisory is posted, as was the case at both locations.
The potable water citation at Jerk Pit is in a category by itself. Non-potable water used in food preparation can carry E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Legionella. Every item washed, every surface rinsed, every dish cleaned with that water becomes a potential exposure point.
The Longer Record
Jalsa Indian Modern Kitchen has now accumulated 62 inspections on record, the highest count of any facility cited this week. Nine high-severity violations at a location that has been through 62 prior inspections is not a new operation finding its footing. It is a facility with a documented history absorbing another round of serious citations.
Minerva Indian Restaurant on Bruce B Downs has 46 inspections on record. New China on Gandy has 41. Garden Gyro's on Busch has 37. Restaurant Milena Honduras on Fletcher has 36. All four drew high-severity violations this week, and all four have inspection histories long enough to have addressed recurring problems many times over.
Kikiriki on Fletcher Avenue has only 3 prior inspections on record, making it among the newest facilities in this week's data. It drew six high-severity violations, including improper sewage disposal and no person in charge, in what appears to be one of its earliest encounters with state inspectors.
Ro, Jekyll, Sesame on Swann Avenue has 10 inspections on record. Its citations this week include both food from an unapproved source and parasite destruction procedures not followed, a combination that suggests sourcing and food-safety protocols have not been established even at a relatively early stage.
Perry's BBQ Asian Grill was emergency-closed for roach activity on September 30. State records do not yet reflect whether it has reopened.
