TAMPA, FL. Mi Tierra Latina on West Hillsborough Avenue led all Tampa facilities inspected the week of September 4 with seven high-severity violations, including improper chemical storage near food, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items on the menu.
The violations at Mi Tierra Latina did not stop there. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, an improper handwashing technique among staff, and a failure to correctly apply time as a public health control, a method that requires strict documentation when temperature monitoring is not used. No person in charge was present or performing duties during the visit.
The Week's Worst Findings
Florida Cracker Fish Company on Ehrlich Road matched Mi Tierra Latina's count with seven high-severity violations of its own, and the nature of those violations is particularly serious for a seafood operation. Inspectors found no adequate shell stock identification or records, meaning oysters, clams, or mussels on the menu could not be traced to a certified harvest source if a customer became ill.
The fish company was also cited for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures. Fish served raw or undercooked requires documented freezing at specific temperatures for specific durations before it reaches a customer. Without those records, there is no verification that parasites including Anisakis or tapeworm have been eliminated. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal on site.
Funky Sweets on Citrus Park Drive drew six high-severity violations, including one that stands out from a dessert shop: food from an unapproved or unknown source. Food obtained outside of licensed, inspected supply chains carries no guarantee of safety and cannot be traced if a customer falls ill.
Funky Sweets was also cited for inadequate shell stock identification, which is an unusual finding for a sweets operation, as well as no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms annually, and a shop that cannot communicate allergen information to customers creates direct exposure for those with life-threatening sensitivities.
Mr and Mrs Crab on Sheldon Road accumulated six high-severity violations including no person in charge present, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, missing shell stock records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. For a restaurant whose menu centers on shellfish, the combination of traceability failures and illness-reporting gaps is notable.
Sal Y Mar on Midtown Drive was cited for six high-severity violations, among them a finding that food was not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Undercooking is one of the most direct pathways to foodborne illness: Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Sal Y Mar also lacked both an employee health policy and adequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for basic hygiene was absent.
Steak N Shake on East Hillsborough Avenue received five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no consumer advisory, and improper handwashing technique. Inspectors also cited the location for reusing single-use items, a practice that introduces contamination risk from materials designed for one-time contact.
Sweetwater Franchise Group on North Dale Mabry was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source alongside improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a combination that puts both the food supply and the physical facility environment at risk. Inspectors also noted food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Curry Leaves at Westshore Plaza drew five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory, and no employee health policy. The mall-based restaurant also had food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned and staff demonstrating improper handwashing technique.
Mity Nice Cafe on Benjamin Road was cited for five high-severity violations including missing shell stock identification records, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Inspectors also noted inadequate toilet facilities, which discourages proper employee hygiene.
The Cuban Sandwich Shop on North Florida Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source and for failing to properly apply time as a public health control, the same time-tracking failure documented at Mi Tierra Latina. Employees were also cited for not reporting illness symptoms.
Penthouse Club on North Westshore Boulevard received five high-severity violations including no allergen awareness demonstrated, missing shell stock records, and improper sewage disposal. The combination of allergen and shellfish traceability failures at a club that serves food to large numbers of guests raises particular concern.
New York New York Pizza Westchase on Sheldon Road was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed and missing shell stock identification records, violations that suggest raw or lightly prepared fish or shellfish on the menu without the required safety documentation. Inspectors also found food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Urban Indian on North Dale Mabry drew four high-severity violations including food described as in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated. That finding, combined with unsanitized food contact surfaces and improper handwashing technique, rounds out a week in which nearly every category of critical food safety failure appeared somewhere in Tampa.
Taco Dirty on West Platt Street and Woody's Greek Salads on South Dale Mabry each received fewer high-severity violations than the week's worst offenders, but both were cited for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited high-severity violation this week, appearing at Mi Tierra Latina, Florida Cracker Fish Company, Mr and Mrs Crab, Sal Y Mar, Steak N Shake, Sweetwater, Curry Leaves, Mity Nice Cafe, The Cuban Sandwich Shop, Penthouse Club, New York New York Pizza, and Urban Indian, was either improper handwashing technique or unsanitized food contact surfaces. These are not paperwork violations. Studies show that even when employees attempt to wash hands, improper technique leaves pathogens present. Cutting boards, prep surfaces, and utensils that are not properly sanitized between uses become direct transfer points for bacteria including Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.
The employee illness reporting failures documented at Mi Tierra Latina, Florida Cracker Fish Company, Mr and Mrs Crab, Sal Y Mar, Steak N Shake, Sweetwater, and The Cuban Sandwich Shop represent a different category of risk. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads readily from a symptomatic food worker to every dish they prepare. A written health policy and a culture of reporting are the only barriers between a sick employee and a customer outbreak.
The food sourcing violations at Funky Sweets, Sweetwater, and The Cuban Sandwich Shop carry a specific danger that goes beyond the food itself: traceability. When food enters a kitchen from an uninspected, unlicensed source, there is no supply chain record to follow if customers begin reporting illness. Public health investigators cannot issue a recall, cannot identify other affected customers, and cannot stop the source from supplying other establishments.
The parasite destruction failures at Florida Cracker Fish Company and New York New York Pizza are acutely serious for any restaurant serving fish. Anisakis, a parasitic roundworm found in many marine fish species, causes severe gastrointestinal illness and can only be reliably killed through documented freezing protocols or thorough cooking. Without records proving those procedures were followed, a customer ordering raw or lightly prepared fish has no assurance of safety.
The Longer Record
Steak N Shake on East Hillsborough has 38 prior inspections on record, the highest count among all facilities cited this week. Five high-severity violations in September 2026 at a location with that depth of inspection history suggests the problems documented this week are not new. Mity Nice Cafe carries 32 prior inspections and returned five high-severity violations including chemical storage failures and missing shellfish records.
Mi Tierra Latina and New York New York Pizza Westchase each show 29 prior inspections. Both were cited for the same consumer advisory failure this week, and Mi Tierra Latina added six additional high-severity violations on top of that. The Cuban Sandwich Shop has 26 prior inspections and was cited this week for sourcing food from an unapproved supplier, a violation with no ambiguity about its seriousness regardless of how many times a facility has been inspected before.
The contrast with newer locations is sharp. Funky Sweets has only 2 prior inspections on record, making this week's six high-severity violations, including unapproved food sourcing and no allergen awareness, a troubling start for a young operation. Urban Indian has 6 prior inspections and already has food in poor condition documented in its record.
Mr and Mrs Crab has 8 prior inspections and drew six high-severity violations this week, including every major shellfish safety failure: no shell stock records, no consumer advisory, and no person in charge present to oversee operations. Whether that pattern holds on the next inspection remains an open question in the state record.
