Roaches in an oven, rodents in Hialeah and other South Florida restaurant issues
Though the period between Christmas and New Year’s Day makes for a slow inspection week, four South Florida places managed to have enough vermin and cleanliness problems to fail state inspections.
This Sick and Shut Down List of restaurants closed by inspection in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties comes from inspections done by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation. Customers can file complaints online about eateries and food trucks with the state agency.
Restaurants remain closed until they pass re-inspection, the first of which usually is done the following day.
In alphabetical order:
Cafe N’ Clave, 524 W. 27th St., Hialeah
Complaint inspection, 31 total violations, eight High Priority violations
If you want to find this inspection, you have to look under “Cafe Enclave” on the Department of Business & Professional Regulation website.
Let’s start out with the common “ice machine interior was soiled with a mold-like substance” at the front counter bar area.
The inspector “observed holes throughout the wall” under dry storage shelves. Uh-oh. That often means ...
“Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found,” specifically one on top of a food container lid and 50 under shelves near the walk-in cooler.
Also, almost all restaurants cook food in advance (yes, you’re often, essentially, paying for leftovers). But the limit on leftovers is seven days. A full 11 days after preparation, this restaurant’s walk-in cooler still had 11-day old smoked pork, red beans, cod and goat in the walk-in cooler. Stop Sales on all.
“One employee in food preparation had ineffective hair restraint in the kitchen area.”
“Equipment and utensils were not washed, rinsed and sanitized in the correct order in the three-compartment sink,” so dishes and equipment weren’t sanitized.
“Employees are not following the proper sanitizing steps” because “they rinsed utensils after applying sanitizer.”
There was “standing water or very slow-draining water” at the handwash sink and the three-compartment sinks in the kitchen and front counter.
Clean utensils sat in 75-degree standing water. That room temperature water needs to be at least 135 degrees.
Two food-preparing employees drew citations for touching their face, then not washing their hands.
READ MORE: This rooftop restaurant in Coral Gables is reopening months after elevator drama
Le Bon Gout Restaurant, 556 E. Gateway Blvd., Boynton Beach
Routine inspection, 13 total violations, four High Priority violations
Two months ago, “The Good Taste” made this list by offering up fish and chicken to outdoor flies on unprotected shelves, and turkey placed in a cardboard box with garbage.
And this inspection included “two cardboard boxes with cooked food used as a garbage container behind the building.”
Last time, stored goat wasn’t covered in the freezer. This time, the cooked chicken and beef stew got left naked.
Two live roaches ran on the prep table around the microwave. One hung out next to the front counter handwash sink. Maybe they weren’t invited to the party of 30 inside the cookline oven.
Sub Center, 5913 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Complaint inspection, four total violations, one High Priority violation
Perhaps the seven live roaches on the shelves under a kitchen counter were there to mourn the one roach that died there.
Uncovered “onions, peppers and mushrooms were stored next to the handwash sink, under the paper towel dispenser” and, therefore, were exposed to being splashed by soapy or dirty water out of the handwash sink.
READ MORE: Moldy food, bad croquetas among the reasons a Miami mini-mart got fined $5,000
Tony’s Subs & Restaurant, 64 W. 21st St., Riviera Beach
Routine inspection, six total violations, four High Priority violations
“Establishment using pesticide tracking powder throughout kitchen on floor under all equipment” is not only a no-no, but apparently an ineffective violation.
At least, that’s judging by the 16 live roaches inside the oven, on the stove top — which was “being used to prepare stewed fish” — and on the outside of the oven door. Two roaches walked on the kitchen floor.
Roach corpses were spread behind the oven (31); on the floor next to walk-in cooler and the wall (11); under the reach-in coolers (nine); on a floor under a kitchen prep table (six); inside a light fixture (four); and in or in front of the walk-in cooler (five).
An “employee wiped his/her face with a hand,” then began cutting cucumbers without washing hands.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 3:17 PM.
