Terrible 10: Restaurants with the most CRITICAL violations | News

TAMPA, Florida - Over the past 10 months, the state of Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation has conducted over 25,000 restaurant inspections across the Bay Area. A majority of restaurants, 66 percent, have fewer than five critical violations per inspection.

But there are a small percentage of restaurants with violations that number far into the double digits.

Here is our Spring 2012 "Terrible 10" list of restaurants with the most critical violations on a single inspection over the past year:

See images of The "Terrible 10" here.

1       -  Golden Phoenix (Tampa)

2       -  Seminole Family Restaurant

3       -  China Buffet (Avon Park)

4       -  Cali Viejo (Brandon)

5       -  Hiro's Tokyo Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar (St. Pete)

6       -  Classic Homestyle Buffet (Tampa)

7       -  China Palace (Valrico)

8       -  Tapas Garden & Wine Bar (Indian Rocks Beach)

9       -  Suzie Q's Diner (Seminole)

10    -  Homer's Original Smorgasbord (Sebring)

More information on each restaurant's state inspection:

Homer's Original Smorgasbord

February Inspection

25 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Temperature violations with blue cheese & macaroni salad

-Slime on the soda nozzles

-Unclean ice chute

Suzie Q's Diner

November Inspection

26 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

- Ham, cooked spinach & cheese temperatures violations

- Roaches throughout the kitchen.

Tapas Garden & Wine Bar

April Inspection

26 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Employees not washing hands or using soap

- Ants on the cook line.

China Palace

March Inspection

26 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Employee scooping out cooked rice with bare hands

-Employees not washing hands

-Slime in the ice machine...

The Classic Homestyle Buffet (Home Like Buffet)

December Inspection

26 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-54 total for the most in Tampa Bay on a single inspection

Hiro's Tokyo Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar

October Inspection

27 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Food temperature abuse

-No soap at the sink.

Cali Viejo Restaurant

March Inspection

27 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Showed impressive improvement.

China Buffet

March Inspection

28 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Sushi at 54 degrees on buffet

-Slime in the ice machine.

Seminole Family Restaurant

April Inspection

28 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Fly strips over the food prep area

-Dirty kitchen equipment.

Golden Phoenix

April Inspection

29 CRITICAL VIOLATIONS

-Food stored in the ice used for drinks

-Temperature violations on cooked duck

-Employees not properly washing hands/changing gloves