Florida inspects Pensacola restaurants; there are no letter grades. Of 444 first visits since July 1, 386 needed no further action. How to look one up.
Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Figures come from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s food service inspection file for District 6, downloaded Oct. 10, 2026, through the state’s public records page.
In Florida, restaurants are inspected by the state, not by Escambia County or the City of Pensacola. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants licenses and inspects every public food service business. Florida gives no numeric scores or letter grades; each inspection lists violations and ends with an outcome.
Who to call
- Division of Hotels and Restaurants: 850-487-1395
- Look up a restaurant: MyFloridaLicense.com license search
- File a complaint: MyFloridaLicense.com
After Hurricane Isaias. Nearly 141,000 of FPL’s 168,000 Escambia County customers lost power in the storm, the city said Oct. 10. If you see a food safety concern at a restaurant as businesses reopen, report it to the state at 850-487-1395.
Pensacola since July 1
From July 1 to Oct. 8, 2026, state inspectors made 444 first-visit inspections at 424 food service businesses with a Pensacola mailing address. Most were routine (342); 52 followed a complaint and 50 were licensing inspections of new or changed businesses.
A Pensacola address does not always mean the city itself. The count includes ZIP codes such as 32534, 32526, 32507 and 32514 that use the Pensacola name outside city limits; 193 of the 444 inspections were in the 32501, 32502, 32503 and 32504 ZIP codes that cover most of the city.
| Outcome of the first visit | Inspections | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection completed, no further action | 386 | 87% |
| Warning issued (a follow-up visit is set) | 42 | 9% |
| Administrative complaint recommended | 14 | 3% |
| Emergency order recommended (closure until fixed) | 2 | Under 1% |
356 of the 444 inspections found no high-priority violations. The middle inspection found one violation of any kind. Across all of Escambia County, including Pensacola Beach and Cantonment, there were 510 first-visit inspections in the same period, and 442 of them ended with no further action. The state’s file lists outcomes, not the reasons for them, and a recommended action is not a final finding.
How to read an inspection
According to the division’s inspections page:
- High priority violations are those that could contribute directly to foodborne illness or injury.
- Intermediate violations could lead to those risks if not addressed.
- Basic violations are, in the state’s words, “considered best practices to implement.”
Every public food service business gets one to four unannounced inspections a year, depending on its risk: the type of food, how it is prepared and its inspection record. Complaints can bring extra visits.
The outcomes:
- No further action: the inspection is complete.
- Warning issued: violations must be corrected by a set date, and the inspector returns.
- Administrative complaint recommended: the inspector recommended enforcement action.
- Emergency order recommended: the inspector recommended closing the business until the violations are corrected. A callback visit shows whether it complied.
Look up a restaurant
Search any Pensacola restaurant by name or address on the state’s license search. Full reports list each violation in the inspector’s words. The raw data, statewide and by district, is on the public records page. District 6 covers Escambia County along with Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.
Method
We counted rows in the state’s District 6 file whose county is Escambia, whose location city is Pensacola and whose inspection date is July 1 to Oct. 8, 2026, using only first visits (visit number 1) so follow-ups are not counted twice. Shares are rounded. We do not rank or name restaurants on this page; individual results are in the state’s records.
What this means for you
- Florida has no grades on the door; look up the latest inspection yourself.
- A warning means problems to fix by a deadline, not a closure.
- Report a concern to the state, not the city or county.
Related: new businesses in Pensacola and who to call at City Hall.
Frequently asked questions
Who inspects restaurants in Pensacola?
The state. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants licenses and inspects public food service businesses, not the city or Escambia County.
Do Florida restaurants get inspection scores or grades?
No. Florida gives no numeric scores or letter grades. Each inspection lists violations as high priority, intermediate or basic, and ends with an outcome such as no further action or a warning.
How do I look up a restaurant’s inspection in Pensacola?
Search the business name or address on the state’s MyFloridaLicense.com license search, or download the state’s District 6 inspection file, which covers Escambia County.
How do I report a restaurant in Pensacola?
File a complaint with the Division of Hotels and Restaurants through MyFloridaLicense.com or call 850-487-1395. Complaints can lead to an extra inspection.
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