HIALEAH, FL. Back in April, state inspectors walked into Cafe Taberna Inc on West 28th Avenue and found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, meaning no USDA or FDA inspection had verified it was safe before it reached the cafe's kitchen.

That was one of nine high-severity violations documented during the April 16, 2026 inspection. The cafe remained open.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood from unapproved/unknown sourceHigh severity
2HIGHFood not cooked to minimum temperatureHigh severity
3HIGHToxic chemicals improperly stored or labeledHigh severity
4HIGHFood in poor condition or adulteratedHigh severity
5HIGHFood contact surfaces not cleaned/sanitizedHigh severity
6HIGHNo employee health policyHigh severity
7MEDImproper sewage/waste water disposalIntermediate
8MEDInadequate toilet facilitiesIntermediate
9MEDEquipment in poor repairIntermediate

The inspection record lists nine high-severity citations and six intermediate ones, a total of 15 violations in a single visit. Among the high-severity findings: food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and food described as being in poor condition or adulterated.

Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items, and no written employee health policy. Time as a public health control was not being properly applied.

On the intermediate side, inspectors documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, inadequate ventilation and lighting, inadequate toilet facilities, equipment in poor repair, and improper sanitizing procedures.

What These Violations Mean

Food from an unapproved or unknown source is one of the most serious violations a food service establishment can receive, because it removes every layer of traceability. If a customer falls ill, investigators cannot trace the food back through a licensed distributor or inspected processor. The supply chain is simply unknown, which means Listeria, Salmonella, and other pathogens could be present with no prior checkpoint to catch them.

Undercooking compounds that risk directly. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. When a kitchen is simultaneously sourcing food from unknown suppliers and not cooking it to required temperatures, the two violations reinforce each other in a way that neither one does alone.

Toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly near food represent a separate and immediate hazard. Mislabeled or misplaced cleaning agents can contaminate food through direct contact or aerosol exposure, and the symptoms of acute chemical poisoning can be mistaken for other illnesses, delaying treatment.

The absence of an employee health policy means the cafe had no formal mechanism to keep sick workers out of the kitchen. Norovirus spreads readily from an infected food handler to customers, and a written policy is the most basic structural safeguard against that transmission route.

The Longer Record

The April 2026 inspection was not an anomaly. Cafe Taberna has accumulated 342 total violations across 26 inspections on record, and the pattern of high-severity citations stretches back years without meaningful interruption.

In September 2024, inspectors documented seven high-severity violations and four intermediate ones in a single visit. That same day, a second inspection recorded four high and three intermediate violations. In October 2025, a visit found six high-severity and two intermediate violations, followed two weeks later by another inspection with four high and one intermediate.

The cafe was emergency-closed once before, in January 2015, after inspectors found roach activity. It reopened the following day. In the years since that closure, the facility has continued to generate high-severity citations at nearly every inspection on record, including the visits in March 2025, January 2025, February 2024, and October 2023.

Cafe Taberna: Inspection Pattern, Selected Visits

April 16, 20269 high-severity, 6 intermediate violations. Facility remained open.
October 17, 20254 high-severity, 1 intermediate violation.
October 3, 20256 high-severity, 2 intermediate violations.
September 19, 20247 high-severity, 4 intermediate violations. A second inspection the same day: 4 high, 3 intermediate.
January 22, 2015Emergency closure for roach activity. Reopened January 23, 2015.

The April 2026 inspection produced the highest single-visit high-severity count in the recent record, nine, surpassing even the September 2024 visit that had drawn seven.

Open for Business

State inspectors documented food of unknown origin, improperly cooked dishes, chemicals stored near food, unsanitary food contact surfaces, wastewater disposal problems, and a kitchen operating without any written policy to keep sick employees away from food preparation.

After the April 16 inspection, Cafe Taberna remained open.