Live roaches under the coffee and climbing the walls put restaurants on notice

Restaurants keep opening. Roaches keep living. And 41 restaurants in Miami-Dade have been cited in the last month for not winning the bug battle.

Some were cited for roach activity, others received emergency-shutdown orders. Eight of the 41 restaurants fell into the latter category.

The Florida Division of Hotels and Restaurants, Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspects food establishments periodically.

READ MORE: Go to the Dining Adviser for reviews and inspection reports

One of the high-priority violations at Astrid & Stephanie, 6772 Collins Ave., Miami Beach on Feb. 23, was a can of Raid above the sugar in a food storage area.

Not great placement, but understandable that the restaurant would have it at the ready considering the inspector reported “approximately 25-30 live roaches observed underneath counters at coffee station and prep area at the front of the establishment. Area is used to store closed drinks (water/soda bottles).”

▪ Ventura Restaurant, 12985 NW Seventh Ave., also had household Raid in the restaurant, which is a no-no. The inspector on Feb. 1 also “observed approximately 100 live roaches walking on plates stored on shelve by three-compartment sink in the kitchen area.”

That problem wasn’t cleared up on Feb. 2. Of their six high-priority violations, they handled the three roach-related ones by the Feb. 3 recheck.

▪ Catering to Kids, 12320 SW 132nd Ct., couldn’t quite get over the roach hump. After being shut down on Feb. 17 — “approximately 35 live roaches found. In the kitchen on the floor, underneath the three compartment sink, inside an oven and behind a food prep table on the wall” — roach activity remained a problem during followups on Feb. 19, 20 and 21.

▪ Roaches were so excited about North Miami Beach’s Island Delight Pizzeria Restaurant, 705 NE 167th St., on Feb. 20, they were climbing the walls: “Approximately 40 to 50 live roaches on east wall over preparation table...five roaches crawling on south wall inside the kitchen....”

▪ The Thunderbird Cafe, 18401 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach got shut down on Feb. 16 after inspectors saw “approximately two live roaches on prep table. Approximately 10 live roaches around oven in main cook line. Approximately five live roaches around clean pot rack in main cook line. Approximately 10 live roaches by three-compartment sink.”

▪ On Feb. 15, Hialeah’s Chez Joseito, 496 E. Ninth St., displayed “four on wall by food packing area next to office, seven live in kitchen wall between stoves and prep table.”

▪ Orgullo Catracho, 2300 SW Eighth St., Miami, was closed down on Feb. 23 for rodent activity and 15 live roaches spotted by the inspector.

▪  Mi Cafeteria, 4865 NW 37th Ave., Miami, also was closed down on Feb. 2 for a double dip: rodents, six live roaches on the preparation area shelves and roach poop around shelves in the kitchen area.

▪ Rincon Argentino, a neighborhood institution for 30 years just off the corner of Coral Way and Southwest 37th Avenue, had four live roaches on shelves near the dishwasher listed among its high-priority violations on Feb. 23. But this probably had more to do with its emergency shutdown: “Employee touched bare body part and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Employee wiped face with towel used on the cookline.”

This story was originally published March 5, 2017 at 8:45 AM with the headline "Live roaches under the coffee and climbing the walls put restaurants on notice."