MIAMI, FL. A state inspector visiting Casola's Pizzeria and Sub Shop at 2437 SW 17th Avenue on September 15, 2026 found that the kitchen was not following parasite destruction procedures for fish and other proteins, meaning customers could have consumed food harboring live Anisakis worms or tapeworm larvae without any warning on the menu and without any assurance the food had been properly frozen or cooked to eliminate the risk.
That was one of eight high-severity violations cited that day. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite violation appeared alongside a separate citation for no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Together, the two violations describe a kitchen serving fish or other proteins without eliminating parasites through proper freezing or cooking, and without telling customers on the menu that any risk exists.
Inspectors also found that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and that handwashing technique was improper. Those two violations together describe a scenario where a sick employee could contaminate food through hands that were washed incorrectly or not flagged for removal from food handling duties.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned either, a separate intermediate citation. Surfaces and utensils that carry bacterial biofilm from one food preparation cycle to the next are a direct cross-contamination pathway.
Two violations involved toxic substances. Chemicals were both improperly stored or labeled and improperly identified or used, drawing two distinct high-severity citations. Improperly stored or mislabeled chemicals near food preparation areas carry a risk of acute poisoning if contents are confused or spilled onto food surfaces.
The final high-severity citation was for no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year. A kitchen where staff cannot identify allergens in dishes has no reliable way to protect a customer with a life-threatening allergy.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure is the kind of violation that produces no immediate visible symptom in a customer. A person who eats fish containing Anisakis larvae may not feel sick for hours or days, and the infection can be severe enough to require surgical removal of larvae from the stomach or intestine. Proper freezing at specific temperatures for a defined period kills parasites before food reaches the table. Without that step, and without a menu advisory telling customers the food is served raw or undercooked, diners have no information on which to base a choice.
The illness reporting and handwashing violations are acutely dangerous in combination. Norovirus, one of the most common foodborne illness agents, spreads directly from the hands of infected workers to food. An employee who does not report symptoms stays on the line; an employee who washes incorrectly leaves pathogens on their hands even when they go through the motion of washing. The two violations together describe a gap with no backup.
The dual chemical violations at Casola's are worth reading carefully. Florida inspectors use separate citation categories for improper storage or labeling and for improper identification or use. Both were cited on the same visit, which means the problems were distinct enough to warrant two separate findings. Mislabeled chemicals in a food preparation environment can be mistaken for food-safe products.
The Longer Record
The September 15 inspection was not an outlier. State records show Casola's Pizzeria has been inspected 46 times, accumulating 684 total violations across that history.
The eight months before September 2026 show a facility that has not resolved its most serious problems. An August 2025 inspection found six high-severity and four intermediate violations. A December 16, 2024 inspection found eight high-severity violations, matching the count from September 15. A September 2024 inspection found four high-severity violations.
The restaurant was emergency-closed once before, in August 2022, after inspectors documented fly activity. It reopened the following day. That closure did not appear to interrupt the pattern of high-severity violations that the inspection record shows in the years that followed.
Casola's Pizzeria: Recent Inspection Pattern
A follow-up inspection on September 21, 2026, six days after the September 15 visit, found two high-severity and one intermediate violation still present. The restaurant was open throughout.
