Koi Sushi was serving food from an unknown source. 14 other Fort Lauderdale restaurants had high-risk violations the same week.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. State inspectors cited Michael's Cafe Bistro on NE 62nd Street for seven high-severity violations during the week of August 5, 2026, the most of any facility inspected in Fort Lauderdale that week, including food in poor condition, toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, and shellfish that could not be traced to its source if someone got sick.

Michael's also drew citations for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Fourteen other restaurants in the city logged their own high-severity findings during the same seven-day stretch.

The Closures

Sugar Bae at 8253 Sunset Strip was emergency-closed on August 7 after inspectors documented roach activity. The order came mid-week, during a stretch when inspectors were already flagging serious conditions across the city.

The Violations

Koi Sushi Lounge and Hibachi on Cordova Road drew six high-severity citations, including one for serving food from an unapproved or unknown source. A sushi restaurant handling raw fish sourced outside regulated supply chains has no documentation trail if a customer falls ill. Inspectors also cited Koi Sushi for employees failing to report illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish traceability records, and improper use of time as a public health control.

Bohemian Latin Grill on NE 32nd Street also logged six high-severity violations, with no person in charge present during the inspection. The remaining five violations all traced back to hygiene: employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing by food workers, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper technique, and shellfish records that were missing or incomplete.

Twin Peaks Restaurant on North Andrews Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved source, no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, missing shellfish traceability records, and improper use of time as a public health control. Inspectors also noted single-use items being reused, an intermediate violation that compounds contamination risk when combined with the higher-severity findings.

IT! Italy on East Las Olas Boulevard logged five high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized. The restaurant also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, leaving diners with no notice that dishes on the menu carry an elevated risk.

High Tides on Seabreeze Boulevard was cited for food from an unapproved source alongside toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly, a combination that puts both the food supply and the physical safety of customers at risk simultaneously. Inspectors also flagged the absence of a person in charge, employees not reporting illness, and inadequate handwashing.

Larb BKK on North Federal Highway drew citations for no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish traceability records, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. Five high-severity violations at a restaurant with 27 prior inspections on record.

Ethos Greek Bistro on SE 17th Street was cited for food from an unapproved source, missing shellfish records, improper use of time as a public health control, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, and employees not reporting illness. All five violations were high-severity, with no intermediate violations listed.

IHOP at 1101 North Federal Highway had no person in charge present during the inspection and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly and employees not reporting illness symptoms, along with improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and inadequate toilet facilities.

Grano de Mostaza Restaurant on NW 31st Avenue was cited for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. An intermediate violation for improper sanitizer concentration rounded out the inspection, meaning the surfaces being cleaned after those improperly washed hands were not being sanitized correctly either.

Dairy Queen Grill and Chill on North Federal Highway logged four high-severity violations including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and inadequate shellfish identification records. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, an intermediate finding that carries fecal contamination risk throughout the facility.

Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek on NW 62nd Street drew citations for inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. A hotel dining operation with 32 inspections on record, it also had improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and inadequate ventilation.

Rice Mediterranean Kitchen on East Las Olas Boulevard was cited for food from an unapproved source, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also documented.

Palm Garden on South Ocean Lane had no person in charge during the inspection, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Four high-severity violations, no intermediate violations.

Worthwyld on East Las Olas Boulevard rounded out the week with three high-severity violations: no person in charge, no employee health policy, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also documented improper sewage disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and inadequate toilet facilities.

What These Violations Mean

The most common high-severity finding this week was employees not reporting illness symptoms, cited at ten of the fifteen facilities including Bohemian Latin Grill, Twin Peaks, Koi Sushi, High Tides, Larb BKK, Ethos Greek Bistro, IHOP, Dairy Queen, Palm Garden, and Worthwyld. This is not a paperwork problem. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through a single sick food worker who continues handling food. One infected employee can expose every customer served during a shift.

Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Koi Sushi, Twin Peaks, IT! Italy, High Tides, Ethos Greek Bistro, and Rice Mediterranean Kitchen, eliminates the traceability chain that investigators rely on when people get sick. If a customer is hospitalized after eating raw fish at Koi Sushi and the fish came from an unregulated supplier, there is no lot number, no harvest date, no origin point to trace. The investigation stops before it starts.

Toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly, documented at Michael's Cafe Bistro, High Tides, Larb BKK, IHOP, Grano de Mostaza, Dairy Queen, and Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek, creates a direct route to acute poisoning. Unlabeled chemical containers placed near food prep surfaces or stored above food are not a maintenance issue. They are a poisoning risk, particularly when handwashing failures documented at the same facilities mean employees are already moving contaminants from surface to surface.

The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, found at IT! Italy, IHOP, Grano de Mostaza, Rice Mediterranean Kitchen, and Palm Garden, is a specific danger to immunocompromised diners, pregnant women, the elderly, and young children. These customers cannot make an informed choice about the risk they are accepting if the menu does not tell them one exists.

The Longer Record

Michael's Cafe Bistro has 32 prior inspections on record, the highest count among facilities cited this week, and still produced seven high-severity violations in a single visit. Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek also has 32 prior inspections on record and was cited for four high-severity violations including both inadequate handwashing and improper handwashing technique, meaning the problem is not just frequency of handwashing but the training behind it.

Bohemian Latin Grill has 30 prior inspections on record and drew six high-severity violations, five of them related directly to handwashing and illness reporting. Koi Sushi Lounge, with 28 prior inspections, was cited for food from an unapproved source alongside two separate handwashing violations, a combination that suggests the kitchen's hygiene infrastructure has not improved despite repeated state visits.

Larb BKK has 27 prior inspections on record. Dairy Queen Grill and Chill and Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek each have 26. Palm Garden has 26 and was still operating without a person in charge during this inspection.

At the newer end, Rice Mediterranean Kitchen has only 14 prior inspections on record and already logged four high-severity violations including undercooked food and an unapproved food source. Twin Peaks, with 15 prior inspections, was also cited for food from an unapproved source in addition to the absence of managerial oversight.

Worthwyld on East Las Olas Boulevard, with 17 prior inspections, had improperly maintained toilet facilities and improper sewage disposal documented in the same visit where no employee health policy was in place. Whether those sewage conditions have been corrected since the August inspection has not been confirmed in the public record.