Dirty Dish List.Near Me
License No. 3911941|Public Food Service Establishment|Hillsborough County, FloridaInspected May 5, 2026
State of Florida Inspection Record

PAPA JOE'S CUBANS

9520 E MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD, TAMPA, FL 33610

State inspectors have documented 9 high-priority violations at PAPA JOE'S CUBANS over the past year. That's the kind that can make you sick. Consider the alternatives below. The trailing-year record shows 49 violations, including 9 high-priority and 1 Emergency Order of Closure.

Serious
16.3
Trailing year of inspections
How this kitchen compares
Against TAMPA

Scores higher than 3% of the 2196 inspected restaurants in TAMPA on the trailing-year record.

16.3
Lowest scoreCity median · 76.8Highest score
Against Hillsborough County

9 high-priority violations on the trailing-year record — above the Hillsborough County average of 2.0.

This kitchen9
County average2.0
Above county average
Computed from the trailing-year records of all inspected restaurants in the same city and county. Official State of Florida inspection data — scores calculated by this site.

The Inspection Record

8 inspections

Full available history. The score uses only the most recent 365 days — older visits are shown for context, not counted.

Visit 01 — Routine - Food
May 5, 2026
Disposition
Inspection Completed - No Further Action
Raw-food separation & protection
Repeat — 3rd time

Raw meat, poultry, or seafood not separated from ready-to-eat food, or food left unprotected during prep, storage, or display.

High-priority
Chemicals & toxic substances
Repeat — 2nd time

Cleaning chemicals or other toxic substances unlabeled or stored where they can reach food.

High-priority
Garbage & premises
Repeat — 4th time

Garbage overflowing or uncovered, or the premises not maintained.

Basic×2
Improper thawing

High-risk food (like meat) thawed improperly, promoting bacterial growth.

Basic
Dirty food-contact surfaces
Repeat — 6th time

Surfaces that touch food — cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks — soiled or not sanitized.

Basic
Other sanitary & safe operation
Repeat — 5th time

Other conditions related to sanitary and safe operation.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
Visit 02 — Routine - Food
Sep 24, 2025
Disposition
Follow-up inspection · Compliance recordedEmergency Order Callback Complied
Pests & outer openings
Repeat — 3rd time

Roaches, rodents, flies, or other pests present — or doors and openings that let them in not protected.

High-priority
Floors, walls & ceilings
Repeat — 6th time

Floors, walls, ceilings, or attached equipment dirty, damaged, or poorly vented.

Basic×2
Equipment & surface condition
Repeat — 7th time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic
Dirty food-contact surfaces
Repeat — 5th time

Surfaces that touch food — cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks — soiled or not sanitized.

Basic
Garbage & premises
Repeat — 3rd time

Garbage overflowing or uncovered, or the premises not maintained.

Basic
Other sanitary & safe operation
Repeat — 4th time

Other conditions related to sanitary and safe operation.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
Compliance recorded on the Emergency Order of Closure of Sep 18, 2025 — Visit 04 in this ledger.
6 days between recordsElapsed time between records—not confirmed time closed.
Visit 03 — Routine - Food
Sep 19, 2025
Disposition
Follow-up inspection · Requirements not metEmergency Order Callback Not Complied
Follow-up inspection — requirements not met. This record is not a new Emergency Order of Closure.
Pests & outer openings
Repeat — 2nd time

Roaches, rodents, flies, or other pests present — or doors and openings that let them in not protected.

High-priority×4
Floors, walls & ceilings
Repeat — 5th time

Floors, walls, ceilings, or attached equipment dirty, damaged, or poorly vented.

Basic×2
Equipment & surface condition
Repeat — 6th time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic
Dirty food-contact surfaces
Repeat — 4th time

Surfaces that touch food — cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks — soiled or not sanitized.

Basic
Non-food surfaces dirty
Repeat — 2nd time

Shelves, counters, handles, or equipment exteriors soiled with grease, debris, or dust.

Basic
Garbage & premises
Repeat — 2nd time

Garbage overflowing or uncovered, or the premises not maintained.

Basic
Other sanitary & safe operation
Repeat — 3rd time

Other conditions related to sanitary and safe operation.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
Visit 04 — Routine - Food
Sep 18, 2025
Disposition
Emergency Order of ClosureEmergency order recommended
Emergency order on this visit
Pests & outer openings

Roaches, rodents, flies, or other pests present — or doors and openings that let them in not protected.

High-priority×5
Raw-food separation & protection
Repeat — 2nd time

Raw meat, poultry, or seafood not separated from ready-to-eat food, or food left unprotected during prep, storage, or display.

High-priority×2
Food at unsafe temperature

Food held, cooled, cooked, or reheated outside safe temperatures, letting dangerous bacteria multiply.

High-priority
Handwashing & employee habits
Repeat — 2nd time

Hands not washed or gloves not changed when required, or employees eating, drinking, or smoking in food areas.

High-priority
Chemicals & toxic substances

Cleaning chemicals or other toxic substances unlabeled or stored where they can reach food.

High-priority
Advisories, date marking & labeling
Repeat — 2nd time

Missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, ready-to-eat food not date-marked, or food not properly labeled.

Intermediate
Dishwashing facilities & test kits
Repeat — 2nd time

Dish machine or sinks not set up or working properly, or missing sanitizer test kit and gauges.

Intermediate
Dirty food-contact surfaces
Repeat — 3rd time

Surfaces that touch food — cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks — soiled or not sanitized.

Basic×3
Single-service articles

Single-use items (cups, straws, to-go containers) stored or handled improperly.

Basic×2
Floors, walls & ceilings
Repeat — 4th time

Floors, walls, ceilings, or attached equipment dirty, damaged, or poorly vented.

Basic×2
Equipment & surface condition
Repeat — 5th time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic
Wiping cloths & linens
Repeat — 2nd time

Dirty wiping cloths not stored in sanitizer, or soiled linens handled improperly.

Basic
Non-food surfaces dirty

Shelves, counters, handles, or equipment exteriors soiled with grease, debris, or dust.

Basic
Garbage & premises

Garbage overflowing or uncovered, or the premises not maintained.

Basic
Other sanitary & safe operation
Repeat — 2nd time

Other conditions related to sanitary and safe operation.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
Visit 05 — Routine - Food
Apr 24, 2025
Disposition
Inspection Completed - No Further Action
Handwashing & employee habits

Hands not washed or gloves not changed when required, or employees eating, drinking, or smoking in food areas.

High-priority
Employee health
Repeat — 2nd time

A sick or symptomatic employee present, or staff unaware of when illness bars them from working with food.

Intermediate×2
Dirty food-contact surfaces
Repeat — 2nd time

Surfaces that touch food — cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks — soiled or not sanitized.

Basic×2
Floors, walls & ceilings
Repeat — 3rd time

Floors, walls, ceilings, or attached equipment dirty, damaged, or poorly vented.

Basic×2
Equipment & surface condition
Repeat — 4th time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
Visit 06 — Routine - Food
Nov 25, 2024
Disposition
Inspection Completed - No Further Action
Raw-food separation & protection

Raw meat, poultry, or seafood not separated from ready-to-eat food, or food left unprotected during prep, storage, or display.

High-priority
Advisories, date marking & labeling

Missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, ready-to-eat food not date-marked, or food not properly labeled.

Intermediate
Equipment & surface condition
Repeat — 3rd time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic
Floors, walls & ceilings
Repeat — 2nd time

Floors, walls, ceilings, or attached equipment dirty, damaged, or poorly vented.

Basic
Other sanitary & safe operation

Other conditions related to sanitary and safe operation.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
Visit 07 — Complaint Full
Apr 15, 2024
Disposition
Inspection Completed - No Further Action
Dishwashing facilities & test kits

Dish machine or sinks not set up or working properly, or missing sanitizer test kit and gauges.

Intermediate
Hair restraints & clean clothes

Missing hair or beard restraint, dirty work clothes, jewelry, or painted/artificial fingernails during food prep.

Basic
Equipment & surface condition
Repeat — 2nd time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic
Wiping cloths & linens

Dirty wiping cloths not stored in sanitizer, or soiled linens handled improperly.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
Visit 08 — Routine - Food
Nov 27, 2023
Disposition
Inspection Completed - No Further Action
Handwash sinks & supplies

Handwash sink missing, blocked, or used for other purposes, or missing soap, towels, or the handwash sign.

Intermediate×3
Employee health

A sick or symptomatic employee present, or staff unaware of when illness bars them from working with food.

Intermediate×2
Equipment & surface condition

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic×2
Dirty food-contact surfaces

Surfaces that touch food — cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks — soiled or not sanitized.

Basic
Clean equipment storage

Clean equipment and utensils stored improperly or not air-dried.

Basic
Floors, walls & ceilings

Floors, walls, ceilings, or attached equipment dirty, damaged, or poorly vented.

Basic
Source: State of FloridaState inspection document
What the violations mean

Violation categories, explained

7 violations · 6 categories

Every violation on this record falls into one of the state's standardized categories. Here is what each category covers and why inspectors check for it — in plain English, with the trailing-year count for this kitchen.

Raw meat, poultry, and seafood must be kept away from ready-to-eat food, and all food must be protected during prep, storage, and display. Inspectors treat separation seriously because raw-food drips and splashes carry pathogens onto food that will not be cooked again.

On this record, the category appears in 1 of the 1 trailing-year inspection. The written details for each entry are in the state inspection documents linked above.

† Item numbers refer to the State of Florida’s standardized inspection form; the same item recurring across visits indicates an unresolved problem. Severity groupings and the sanitation score are explained in How it works.
Check our work

The inspection record above comes straight from the state's files.

Dirty Dish List is built from public inspection data published by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The inspection dates, dispositions, and violations on this report card mirror what the state has on file for License No. 3911941 — you can read the original documents yourself and compare.

License on file
3911941
Inspected
May 5, 2026
Scoring
Trailing-year aggregate — How it works
Official State of Florida inspection records Opens myfloridalicense.com — the state's public inspection search
Official State of Florida inspection data — scores calculated by this site
Dirty Dish List.

Official inspection data, translated for the people who eat here.

SOURCE: STATE OF FLORIDA
No accounts. No ads. No ratings to game.
BROWSE BY AREA
County → · City → · ZIP →
© 2026 Dirty Dish ListCreated by Michael MancusoSite design by Cobblestone Creative
AboutContact & correctionsHow inspections workSource DataTermsPrivacy