Roach falling onto inspector’s iPad among Miami to Palm Beach restaurant filth
Falling roaches, pooping rodents, dead rodents and other restaurant cleanliness violations fill this week’s Sick and Shut Down List of South Florida restaurants failing inspection.
For the second consecutive week, the list reflects diversity in geography (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe represented), restaurateur (chains and independents) and restaurant type (standalone, mall food court, food truck).
Inspections are done by Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation employees. The agency chooses the restaurants for routine inspections, and customers indirectly chose the restaurants for complaint inspections by filing a complaint with the agency.
Quick glossary: A “triple sink” and a “three-compartment sink” are the same thing. They comprise a section for hand washing cookware or dinnerware, a section for rinsing whatever just got washed and a section for sanitizing whatever got washed and rinsed. Every restaurant, supermarket, bodega and gas station minimart should have one.
Unless noted, these places reopened after passing re-inspection the following day.
In alphabetical order:
Amazon Park, food truck, Southwest Miami-Dade
Complaint inspection, five total violations, one High Priority violation
Tough for a food truck not to have some flies such as the five counted near the front service window. But 20 near the ware washing area crosses the line from annoyance to swarm.
Nothing but air can be between the handwash sink and someone wishing to clean their hands. “Power tools blocking the handwash sink near the three-compartment sink.”
Bandeja Paisa Restaurant, 9511 W. Flagler St., West Miami-Dade
Routine inspection, 10 total violations, five High Priority violations
The inspector counted “approximately 50 rodent droppings on the floor under shelves with dry goods and beverages.”
Despite the rodent poop, raw chicken was kept on the walk-in freezer floor.
The concept of “single-use gloves” was explained to an employee who kept the gloves on while washing hands.
The dishwasher’s chlorine sanitizer measured 10 parts per million, well under the 50 to 200 ppm acceptable range.
Standing water stood in the bottom of the reach-in-cooler.
MORE: Listeria causes a recall of freeze dried fruit from Sam’s Clubs across 42 states
Cerro Negro, 9613 W. Flagler St., West Miami-Dade
Routine inspection, 13 total violations, six High Priority violations
This isn’t the kind of hole-in-the-wall place anybody wants to be.
Once you see a place cited for a “hole on the wall behind shelves next to the walk-in cooler” and another hole “in the wall behind lower shelves at dry storage,” you know what you might see next.
“Rodent bite marks” on 12-pound and 25-pound bags of all-purpose flour sitting on shelves next to the walk-in cooler.
Also on those shelves: over 15 rodent droppings. But, even more favored as dump spots were the floor around the water heater, with over 30 poop pieces. Also, the dry storage shelves had over 25 on them, over 15 under them and over 20 inside some metal drawers at the dry storage area.
Dry storage must be the vermin restroom, seeing as how three live roaches walked on shelves, over 10 roaches died under the shelves and about 40 roach droppings got left on the shelves.
The washing area floor was “covered with standing water.”
No paper towels or way to dry your hands at the washing area handwash sink.
A pair of tongs hung from a cookline oven’s door handle.
El Jalapeno, food truck, Palm Beach County
Routine inspection, six total violations, three High Priority violations
A “live roach fell from the ceiling onto the inspector’s iPad,” the inspection said. “The inspector had to sanitize the iPad using alcohol swabs.”
What could be left after that? Well, there were the 30 living and two dead roaches under the three-compartment sink and two roaches walking on the floor.
Perhaps the problem was that the food truck’s “flooring has rusted away with holes through the floor making the outside ground visible.”
Someone working with food “handled a gas can and, without washing hands,” handled dried chilis.
Proper handwashing is tough when the handwash sink doesn’t have any hot water. It just needed to be turned on by the manager.
At the callback inspection, all problems were underfoot. The hole remained in the floor. Four dead roaches lay down there, too.
A same-day, second callback inspection got the food truck back in business.
5th Element Indian Grill, 1325 S. Powerline Rd., Pompano Beach
Routine inspection, 21 total violations, eight High Priority violations
Time for another round of Which Was Worse?
Rodents: Left five poop pieces on the dishwasher.
Roaches: Twenty dead ones on a kitchen floor stick trap, five dead roaches elsewhere in the kitchen, and two live ones on the floor. They left 25 pieces of roach excrement on a kitchen wall by a clean storage rack.
Flies: Not only did fly sticky tape occupy some air space over coolers and a food prep table, but “approximately 20 dead small flying insects” were on the sticky tape. About 40 living ones filled the kitchen air, “landing on unwashed onions, cutting boards, clean utensils, flip top coolers.” Another 10 were in the dishwashing room, “landing on clean dishes.”
All this vermin action, yet the employees left “several different containers of food” uncovered and “several different containers of food on the floor” in both walk-in coolers.
The sanitizer in the three-compartment sink was weaker than a teenager’s excuse.
A Stop Sale crashed down on a “can of puréed tomatoes with a large dent on the seam.”
Also riding to the garbage on the Stop Sale train as temperature abused food — needed to be at or under 41 degrees and wasn’t close — were vegetable samosa, cooked chicken, lamb samosas, cooked goat and cooked rice with vegetables.
FL Cafe, 1360 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
Routine inspection, 13 total violations, two High Priority violations
Earlier this week we told you about the roach problem that closed this restaurant on the first floor of a South Beach Art Deco building for a day.
MORE: Roaches, dead and alive, help get a South Beach restaurant closed by inspection
Founey Caribbean Bar and Grill, 6252 Pembroke Rd., Miramar
Routine inspection, 12 total violations, three High Priority violations
The “ceiling vents were soiled with accumulated grease, dust, or a mold-like substance.”
After sweeping, an “employee washed hands with no soap and proceeded to handle clean containers to store cooked food.”
Maybe that’s because the kitchen handwash sink lacked soap and any way to dry hands that didn’t involve shirt, pants or flapping.
Under the steam table were 30 pieces of rodent regularity. Four others were spotted in the kitchen dry storage area. Three more were seen in front of the triple sink.
Iron Sushi, 9030 SW 72nd Pl., Kendall
Routine inspection, 28 total violations, one High Priority violation
Iron Sushi stands as a restaurant ironman of failure, flopping on inspections Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
On Monday, the only toilet was “clogged; will not flush.”
“Thoughout the kitchen,” the “ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance.”
A dozen dead roaches spread themselves mostly under the fryer (five) and front counter dry storage cabinets (four). Three live roaches scurried in front counter cabinets with single service items are stored. One ran on a shelf where drinks and shaved ice were fixed. One live roach was on the top of a kitchen reach-in cooler.
Knives sat on top of a “soiled ice machine.”
The “wall was soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust.” Where? “Observed throughout the kitchen.”
The outside of the kitchen equipment, coolers, ice machine, the table with the fryer and rice cooker were described as “heavily soiled.” The shelf with dried dishes was described as merely “soiled.”
No soap at the kitchen handwash sink.
A “nonfood-grade basting brush was used in food.”
Tuesday’s re-inspection: a live roach was spotted under a service window on chopsticks, another under a cash register and 11 still twisting on a sticky trap. Also on a sticky trap under the triple sink were 15 dead roaches. Another six dead roaches were under the register. Two dead roaches were “inside a container with plantain leaves.”
Wednesday’s re-re-inspection: Five of the seven live roaches were in kitchen reach-in cooler gaskets. There was one dead roach under the margarita slushee machine, and 20 roach corpses on a sticky trap under a reach-in cooler.
Thursday’s re-re-re-inspection: Rice cookers contained no rice, but did contain two dead roaches and four live roaches. There were three other dead roaches and two other live ones, but re-inspection dies when a roach shows its antennae.
Konos Gelato, inside Westland Mall, 1675 W. 49th St., Hialeah
Routine inspection, six total violations, two High Priority violations
They gamely opened, but the inspector showed up and found “establishment operating with no potable running water ... holding tanks are empty ... Operator stated that the pump and water heater are not working.”
That being the case, the handwash sink didn’t have enough water pressure for proper handwashing.
So, an employee couldn’t wash his hands before doing anything with food, handling clean equipment or utensils.
And, there wasn’t any water at the three-compartment sink, so no manual washing, rinsing or sanitizing.
They remained closed for another five days until passing inspection on Monday,
La Gourmandize, 7108 Pembroke Rd, Miramar
Routine inspection, seven total violations, three High Priority violations
A live roach hung out under a case of plantains next to the three-compartment sink. Six of his friends moseyed about a dry storage floor in the room with some kitchen separation. Two were on a wall behind an unused refrigerator.
“Water leaking from the pipe of the kitchen handwashing sink.”
“Employee, after switching from raw (food) to ready to eat, washed hands with no soap.”
La Rosa, 913 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach
Routine inspection, five total violations, three High Priority violations
The inspector saw four live roaches in a reach-in cooler being used to store cooking equipment and single service goods. Above the cooler, the inspector saw five live roaches. Another five were on a kitchen wall in and around electrical wiring.
Some roach excrement was spotted on that wall and by the reach-in cooler.
La Tia Restaurant, 7100 Pembroke Rd., Miramar
Routine inspection, nine total violations, three High Priority violations
A rodent went nails up under a kitchen freezer.
Eight droppings were found inside a kitchen drawer, the two next to the stove, the two under a rack with clean dishes, the other six found elsewhere.
Joining the dead rodent in the garbage were Stop Sale losers cooked oxtails, cooked rice, cooked chicken, and cheese, none of which were cooled to 41 degrees or less.
On Friday, July 25, La Tia passed a Broward same-day re-inspection with a “Follow-Up Inspection Required,” getting them back open for weekend business.
Mangoes, 700 Duval St., Key West
Routine inspection, 17 total violations, four High Priority violations
Rodents love the wet. Maybe that’s why they like hanging out around dishwashers. The inspector counted nine pieces of rodent dung. There were four at dry storage, where canned and dry goods get stored.
A cookline prep table cutting board “has cut marks and is no longer cleanable.”
“Observed employee preparing food with no hairnet.”
Despite the rodents, the inspector saw shrimp in the reach-in cooler uncovered.”
“In-use tongs stored on equipment door handle between uses.”
“Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses.”
Then came the Stop Sales, taking cut lettuce, cut tomatoes, shrimp and macaroni for being too warm.
Midnight Cookies & Cream, 3341 Sheridan St., Hollywood
Complaint inspection, eight total violations, one High Priority violation
Of the six dead roaches seen, five were on a “control device” under the three-compartment sink.
One of the two live roaches spotted, emerged “coming from under the water heater and next to the kitchen back door.”
Apparently, no one had a working food thermometer. A tolerable equipment failure at home, but not acceptable at a business where workers need to make sure food is cooked to a proper temperature.
Nivel Latino & Miami Lakes Chinese Restaurant, 16780 NW 67th Ave., Northwest Miami-Dade
Routine inspection, 24 total violations, six High Priority violations
Hang around this list long enough and you’ll run into “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
Four flies stalked the food prep area from above. Five roaches breathed their last on the kitchen floor where two roaches crawled away. Five roaches hid in a box under the prep table.
Perhaps they were hiding from the funk of the “objectionable odors in kitchen/dishwasher area of the establishment.” That malodorous assault likely came from the “wastewater backing up from the drain floor located by the dishwasher machine” and the resulting standing water.
Water stood there as well as the adjacent handwash sink and by the ice machine.
Wastewater backup beat dishwashing machine sanitizer on volume. We don’t know the exact amount of wastewater, but the sanitizer came in at zero parts per million.
Standing water at the handwash sink also outweighed the soap (none) and/or paper towels (none) at the handwash sink.
The cutting board had cut marks and was no longer cleanable, but the dishwasher stunk anyway. Along with the cutting board, the prep table and grill also were described as “soiled.”
Fried rice in the walk-in cooler, still a fat 17 to 18 degrees too warm, got smashed with a Stop Sale.
Pinolandia 2 Go, 273 N. University Dr., Pembroke Pines
Routine inspection, 16 total violations, six High Priority violations
Somebody left a container of beef and pork uncovered in a reach-in cooler.
“Employee changed gloves after handling raw chicken, then went to another task portioning prepared food items without washing hands first.” Yes, food-handling restaurant workers should wash their hands before donning single-use gloves and after discarding them.
“No dishwashing facilities of any kind provided. The triple sink had been removed, replaced with a double sink and an ice machine. No dish machine available.” ... “Employee washing and rinsing pans at new double sink without conducting any sanitizing step.”
Meanwhile, one of the handwash sinks didn’t “have enough water pressure to properly wash hands. The hot water pressure quickly drops to almost zero after turning on water.”
You couldn’t get to the kitchen handwash sink for the “pan of plantain chips on top of a cart and a trash can” blocking the way.
Pubbelly Sushi, 8970 SW 72nd Pl., South Miami-Dade
Routine inspection, 15 total violations, three High Priority violations.
Another place where “throughout the kitchen,” the inspector saw “ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance.”
A seven-fly squadron invaded the warewashing area, landing on walls and dry dishes.
Racks for dry dishes and a food slicer were cited for having “non-pitting surface rust on food-contact equipment.” The slicer allegedly has been retired.
Seafood fans might be familiar with the reduced oxygen packaged fish with the directions to take the fish out of the vacuum packing before you thaw it. That’s because thawing while still in the reduced oxygen packing turns the fish into a bacteria breeding ground.
That’s why four tuna filets at the sushi counter, “completely thawed in reduced oxygen packaging,” got hit with one, two, three, four Stop Sales.
Sabor Latino, 1500 Gateway Blvd., Boynton Beach
Routine inspection, eight total violations, one High Priority violation
Of the eight live roaches, half were under a cookline oven. One was on the floor in front of the prep table.
“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents were soiled with accumulated, grease, dust, or mold-like substance to the right of ice machine.”
A can opener was “soiled with food debris” and inside of an oven was “soiled with chip debris.”
Anybody washing their hands at the back handwash sink better bring their own way to dry their hands.
Sbarro, inside The Mall at Wellington Green, 10300 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington
Routine inspection, four total violations, three High Priority violations.
Regular readers might remember The Mall at Wellington Green as a rodent roadhouse last fall. This Sbarro was shut down in the second batch of mall restaurants caught with too many rodent dung sprinkles.
MORE: Rodents return to a mall food court, and other Miami to Palm Beach restaurant issues
No rodents, just roaches this time among the living violations. On the prep area floor, the floor under shelves and a dish rack rolled 11 live roaches.
The “pizza cook grabbed a garbage can, a dirty apron and kept engaging in food preparation.” There needed to be some handwashing in there somewhere.
The re-inspection got ruined when the inspector saw a live roach crawling on the soda syrup dispenser rack. The manager killed it.
The second re-inspection went a little better.
Wings in Weston, 1354 SW 160th Ave., Sunrise
Routine inspection, 16 total violations, six High Priority violations.
There was an “accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin” on the kitchen ice machine.
A baseball team of roaches, nine of them, was “crawling on the bread rack” next to the cookline.
“Employee engaged in food preparation without hair restraint.”
Cooked wings had been left on top of the fryer overnight. That’s a Stop Sale.
No paper towels or blower dryer were at the handwashing sink at the front, the handwashing sink next to dishwasher or the handwashing sink in the kitchen (no soap, either, at that last one).
This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 8:31 AM.
