Roaches coming out of the walls helped get a Coral Gables restaurant closed
The number of live roaches at a longtime Coral Gables restaurant this week exceeded the establishment’s 30 years of existence as well as the limits of the state inspector.
Havana Harry’s says it serves “Cuban American fusion” fare and boasts that the 2024 Michelin guide included it among the Best Cuban Restaurants in Miami.
There will be no boasting, however, about Monday’s inspection fail that closed the restaurant at the corner of LeJeune Road and Vilabella Avenue. A customer complaint brought an inspector to 4612 LeJeune Rd., where 13 total violations, two of which were High Priority, were found.
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The restaurant reopened after passing re-inspection on Tuesday.
(The inspection, like those of any restaurant, can be found on the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation website, but under “Havanna Harry S.”)
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As for the aforementioned live roach count, it was at least 38. The two largest roach counts on the inspection weren’t exact: over 15 roaches coming from inside a broken wall post in the middle of the kitchen, next to a breakfast/sandwich making area; and over 10 live roaches on a wall and electrical area behind reach-in cooler and freezers.
Elsewhere, seven roaches were seen “coming from behind a metal wall at the cookline next to the gas stove.” Another three roaches were “coming from the wall where the electric box outlet is connect at the to-go order prep area.”
As for dead roaches, there were three, one on an electric line behind the ice machine, where a live roach also strolled.
The cookline exit door to the outside had a gap, perhaps hindering Havana Harry’s ability to keep out vermin.
At the sandwich prep area, “a box of uncut lettuce was stored on the shelf” without being covered. So, open to any kind of contamination.
The cookline floors were “soiled with an accumulation of debris.” The cookline hood filters were described as “soiled with grease buildup.” The storage shelf at a prep cooler across from the cookline was “soiled with old grease and food residue.”
“Clean drinking glasses were stored next to the handwash sink” meaning they were clean dishes “exposed to splash” contamination.
This story was originally published June 19, 2025 at 9:48 AM.
