In Tampa, Florida, health authorities have issued a warning about a Listeria outbreak linked to a local Chinese buffet. Though Listeria symptoms often resemble those of food poisoning, there’s a heightened risk for severe illness in pregnant women, individuals over 65, and those with compromised immune systems.
The establishment at the heart of this outbreak, China Buffet located on East Fowler, is well-known and frequented by locals.
“Back when I lived nearby, I used to visit quite often, especially before they renovated,” shared frequent diner Joshua Arevalo.
Renee Chabebe, a patron, expressed her fondness for the buffet, saying, “The food is really good. I love it. I mainly go because of the crab legs.”
Friday, the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County announced a Listeria outbreak originated at the restaurant.
“To be honest with you, it’s a surprising — obviously it makes me rethink going here to eat right now,” Arevalo said.
The DOH said of the five people included in the outbreak, four ate at the restaurant between March and June 2026.
Dr. Adelor Zamora is an infectious disease specialist and the medical director of the Infection Prevention Program at HCA Brandon. He said he’s eaten at China Buffet before.
“But thank God, basically I’m not sick,” Zamora said.
He said Listeria cases are common in the summer, though they go under reported.
“The most common symptom is always gastroenteritis. It causes diarrhea, fevers, abdominal cramping,” Zamora said.
Those symptoms are similar to the other diarrhea-causing illness, Cyclosporiasis. There are 50 confirmed cases across the state and two of them are in Hillsborough County, according to FDOH.
“Cyclospora is a parasite. The Listeria is a bacteria. So that’s the main difference. They’re all foodborne illness, meaning they contaminate the food. And once you ingest it, you get infected,” Zamora said.
China Buffet’s manager told 8 On Your Side that in June they got the restaurant cleaned up and reopened but didn’t want to give any further comment.
Chabebe said she was there in June, and said she plans to keep coming back.
“I ask what happened and then they told me they had some health, you know, inspection and they had to throw all the food,” she said.
The DOH said they’ve conducted multiple onsite assessments and gave the restaurant required remediation measures.
“I would probably wind up actually trusting, going to eat here, knowing that someone has already been on top of things and has actually looked at it,” Arevalo said.
Doctors recommend washing your hands and food thoroughly and said to seek medical attention as soon as possible if you feel sick.