CHINA BUFFET

Name: CHINA BUFFET
Address: 1245 E FOWLER AVE, TAMPA, FL, 33612, US
Rating: 70.6

1245 E FOWLER AVE, TAMPA, FL 33612

License #3911556

🥡 Chinese ℹ️ Categories are auto-assigned based on restaurant names and may not be 100% accurate

70.6 Grade C / 100

Mixed Health Record

How is this score calculated? →

Quick take

CHINA BUFFET in TAMPA currently holds an InspectFL Health Score of 70.6 out of 100 — a C grade — a noticeable pattern of violations across recent inspections. This restaurant has 2 inspections on record from Florida DBPR, with the most recent inspection on May 5, 2026. Across those visits, inspectors documented 26 total violations — 3 critical, 6 major, 17 minor.

How to read this page

Start with the newest inspection, then verify the pattern

The score is the shortcut. The inspection timeline is the real story. Read the latest visit first, open the official DBPR record when you need the source, then compare this restaurant with other options nearby.

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Record snapshot

What stands out in this inspection history

Use this as context before you scroll through every inspection.

Inspections on file

Clean inspections

Callback visits

Latest clean pass

None on file yet

The latest inspection on May 5, 2026 included 1 critical violation, 3 major, and 10 minor.

Inspection data quality

What’s powering this page

Official source: DBPR

Inspection coverage

100%

Imported observations

Coverage note

Inspector notes shown when available

InspectFL reorganizes public DBPR inspection records into a page you can actually scan. When imported inspector observations are available, they appear inline. Otherwise, the page falls back to violation categories plus the official DBPR record.

What you’ll see here

•Imported DBPR observations appear directly inside inspection entries when available.
•When note coverage is missing, the official violation record still stays visible.

Location + actions

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DBPR

*Scores are calculated by InspectFL based on public DBPR inspection data and are not official state ratings.

Inspection timeline

Inspection History

Read the newest inspection first, then scan for patterns. Repeated high-priority findings matter more than one isolated bad day.

Critical Major Minor

Inspector notes are being added across all restaurants. Some inspections may only show violation codes until notes are available.

Inspection Completed - No Further Action
[21-04-4] In-use wet wiping cloth/towel used under cutting board. Wet cloth stored underneath cutting board in back kitchen area.
[22-02-4] Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Interior of ice machine is soiled in kitchen area.
[24-08-4] Equipment and utensils not properly air-dried - wet nesting. Dishes stacked on top of each other preventing proper air drying by dishwasher.
[31A-11-4] Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Handwashing sink at sushi bar has dirty dishes stored inside it. Employee removed dirty dishes and placed at dishwasher.
[33-17-4] Garbage can soiled.
[01C-02-4] Establishment not maintaining clam/mussel/oyster tags for 90 days.
[23-03-4] Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Hood filters have grease buildup overtop fryers.
[14-01-5] Bowl or other container with no handle used to dispense food. Bowl without handle used in rice bin.
[08B-38-4] Food stored on floor. Food stored on floor inside walk in frezzer.
[12A-05-4] Employee used tobacco, ate, or drank then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Employee drinking on cooks line then started working. Spoke with employee about proper handwashing employee washed hands.
[35B-08-4] Fly sticky tape hanging over food/food preparation area/food-contact equipment. Sticky Fly tape hanging throughout kitchen. Employees removed sticky tape from kitchen area.
[12B-02-4] Employee eating in a food preparation or other restricted area. Employee drinking on cooks line.
[21-12-4] Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses. 3 wet cloths stored on food preparation table in back kitchen area. Staff removed and properly stored cloths.
[08B-39-4] Raw fruits/vegetables not washed prior to preparation. Onions not washed before preparation. Staff washed onions.

Inspection Completed - No Further Action
[03F-02-5] Time/temperature control for safety food identified in the written procedure as a food held using time as a public health control has no time marking and the time removed from temperature control cannot be determined. Sushi held on time as a public health control on front buffet has no time markings.
[23-03-4] Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Hood filters have buildup of grease overtop flattop grill and fryers.
[31B-03-4] No soap provided at handwash sink. No handwashing soap at handwashing sink in kitchen area by fryer station. Manager placed soap at handwashing sink.
[35B-08-4] Fly sticky tape hanging over food/food preparation area/food-contact equipment. 4 fly sticky tapes hanging from ceiling in kitchen area.
[02D-01-5] Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. Sauces removed from original containers and placed in clear bottles has no labeling of ingredients throughout kitchen area.
[22-41-4] Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength. Discontinue use of dishmachine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dishmachine is repaired and sanitizing properly. Dishwasher has an empty bottle of chlorine connected to it. Manager connected new bucket of chlorine to dishwasher.
[12B-07-4] Employee beverage container on a food preparation table or over/next to clean equipment/utensils. Employee drink stored on reach in cooler cutting board on cooks line. Employee drink stored in same pan as raw crab.
[16-33-4] Chemical test kit not used to ensure proper sanitization of equipment and utensils when using a chemical sanitizer. Empty bucket of chlorine connected to dishwasher.
[01C-01-4] No tag on/for original container of raw, in-shell clams/mussels/oysters. No tags for raw oyster inside walk in cooler. Spoke with manager all fresh raw oysters must be cooked before serving.
[10-07-4] In-use utensil stored in standing water less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Spoon stored in standing water on front buffet line. Manager removed and placed spoon at dishwasher.
[08B-31-4] Food stored in undrained ice. Shrimp inside walk in cooler in sitting water. Manager drained water from shrimp.
[14-69-4] Ice buildup in reach-in freezer and/or walk-in freezer. Ice buildup in white freezer in food preparation area.

Community reaction

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Community pulse