MIAMI, FL. A restaurant on SW 137th Avenue in Miami racked up 14 high-severity violations in a single inspection the week of August 22, 2026, the worst tally among 15 Miami-Dade facilities that state inspectors flagged for serious food safety failures during that seven-day stretch.
The Worst of the Week
Rinconcito Miami 2 on SW 137th Avenue drew the week's highest violation count, with inspectors citing food from unapproved or unknown sources, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. The person in charge was cited as not present or not performing duties, and employees were cited for not reporting illness symptoms and for improper handwashing technique.
The parasite destruction citation means fish served there may not have been frozen to the temperatures or for the duration required to kill Anisakis and other parasites, a risk that falls entirely on whoever eats it.
Rinconcito Latino Mixto on NW 10th Avenue followed with 12 high-severity violations, including three separate handwashing failures: inadequate handwashing by employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper technique. All three were cited simultaneously, which means the facility lacked the infrastructure for proper hygiene, the practice of proper hygiene, and the physical execution of proper hygiene at the same time.
Food from unapproved sources and inadequate shell stock identification were also cited there.
100 Montaditos Midtown at 3252 NE 1st Avenue in Miami's Midtown district also drew 12 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the absence of an employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
High-Profile Locations, Serious Violations
Fontana Restaurant at 1200 Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables sits inside the Biltmore Hotel, one of the most recognized addresses in South Florida. Inspectors cited it for 11 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Toro Toro at 100 Chopin Plaza in downtown Miami also drew 11 high-severity violations. The list included food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated; food from unapproved sources; parasite destruction procedures not followed; and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. No employee health policy was in place, and food contact surfaces were cited as not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Baires Grill at 1010 S Miami Avenue, in Miami's Brickell neighborhood, drew 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the Argentine steakhouse for food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and time as a public health control not properly used, meaning food was held in the temperature danger zone without a documented time-tracking protocol.
Budare Bistro on SW 3rd Avenue accumulated 10 high-severity violations as well, including food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and a person in charge not present or not performing duties.
Friends Market and Bistro at 31 SE 6th Street in downtown Miami's Brickell City Centre drew 10 high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock identification, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Las Columnas Restaurant on NW 79th Avenue in Doral drew 10 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and inadequate shell stock identification.
Tropical Smoothie at 13550 SW 120th Street drew 10 high-severity violations. Among them: food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, inadequate shell stock identification records, and time as a public health control not properly used. A smoothie franchise citing shell stock identification records is notable, suggesting the location serves more than blended drinks.
Cafe Panisse at 7310 SW 57th Avenue drew 9 high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The simultaneous presence of adulterated food and improperly stored chemicals in the same inspection is an unusual combination.
Tani Thai by Rin at 12269 S Dixie Highway in Pinecrest drew 8 high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed. The allergen awareness citation is the only one of its kind in this week's data.
Panaderia Colombiana Mi Cali at 2350 W 60th Street in Hialeah drew 5 high-severity violations including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also cited.
Di Napoli at 11755 S Dixie Highway drew 5 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Tap42 at 11735 Sherry Lane in Kendall drew 2 high-severity violations, the lowest count among the 15 facilities, for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also on the report.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved or unknown sources appeared at seven facilities this week, including Rinconcito Miami 2, Rinconcito Latino Mixto, 100 Montaditos Midtown, Fontana Restaurant, Toro Toro, Baires Grill, Budare Bistro, Friends Market and Bistro, and Tropical Smoothie. When food enters a kitchen from an uninspected supplier, there is no traceability if someone gets sick. If a customer is hospitalized after eating there, investigators cannot trace the ingredient back through the supply chain to determine where contamination occurred.
Parasite destruction failures at Rinconcito Miami 2, Fontana Restaurant, Toro Toro, Las Columnas Restaurant, Baires Grill, and Tani Thai by Rin represent a direct risk to anyone eating raw or undercooked fish at those locations. The required freezing protocols exist specifically because fish parasites including Anisakis survive light cooking. Without those protocols being followed, the parasite reaches the plate.
The employee illness reporting failures documented at Rinconcito Miami 2, 100 Montaditos Midtown, Fontana Restaurant, Las Columnas Restaurant, Tropical Smoothie, Budare Bistro, Panaderia Colombiana Mi Cali, and Friends Market and Bistro are among the most direct transmission risks in the data. Norovirus spreads from a single infected food worker to dozens of customers. An employee health policy does not prevent illness; it ensures a sick worker stays home.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared at Cafe Panisse, Di Napoli, Panaderia Colombiana Mi Cali, and Tani Thai by Rin, while Tani Thai, Panaderia Colombiana Mi Cali, and Tap42 were also cited for toxic substances improperly identified or stored. These are separate but related failures. One involves containers and proximity to food. The other involves whether anyone in the kitchen knows what the chemicals are and how to use them safely.
The Longer Record
The data does not include prior inspection counts for these facilities, which limits direct comparison of chronic versus new violators. What the violation totals themselves show is a cluster of facilities accumulating 10 or more high-severity citations in a single week, a threshold that in prior South Florida inspection cycles has preceded emergency closures.
Toro Toro and Tani Thai by Rin both carry inspection record numbers in the SEA231 range, the lowest sequence numbers in this week's data, suggesting they have been licensed and inspected longer than facilities in the SEA233 range. Both drew serious violations this week regardless of that history.
Rinconcito Miami 2 and Rinconcito Latino Mixto share a name and a violation pattern. Both were cited for food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock identification, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Whether they share ownership, suppliers, or management is not reflected in the inspection data, but the overlap across two separate addresses is the kind of pattern that typically draws follow-up scrutiny.
Friends Market and Bistro, operating inside Brickell City Centre, one of downtown Miami's highest-traffic mixed-use developments, drew 10 high-severity violations including adulterated food and unapproved food sources. No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was not among its citations, but food not cooked to minimum temperatures was.
