HALLANDALE, FL. A state inspector visiting Ceviche Avenue at 101 NE 3rd Street on July 29 found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, no written employee health policy, and evidence that food workers were not washing their hands properly. The restaurant drew six high-severity violations and two intermediate ones. It was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The chemical storage finding was among the most acute. State records show the inspector cited toxic chemicals as improperly stored or labeled, a violation that carries a risk of acute poisoning if a substance contaminates food through mislabeling or proximity. At a restaurant built around raw seafood, that risk is not theoretical.
The inspector also found no written employee health policy in place. That means there was no formal system requiring sick workers to report symptoms or stay off the line.
Two additional violations compounded the contamination picture. Food employees were found to be washing their hands inadequately, and food contact surfaces were not being properly cleaned or sanitized. Those two findings together describe a kitchen where pathogens can move from a worker's hands to a prep surface to the food itself without interruption.
The sixth high-severity violation involved the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Ceviche is served raw by definition. Without a menu advisory, customers with compromised immune systems, elderly diners, pregnant women, and young children have no warning that they are eating food that carries an elevated illness risk.
The inspector also documented that time was not being used properly as a public health control, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone, between 41 and 135 degrees, without proper tracking. When temperature monitoring is not in place, bacterial growth in food like raw fish can accelerate without any visible sign of spoilage.
What These Violations Mean
At a restaurant serving raw fish, the combination of inadequate handwashing and improperly sanitized food contact surfaces is a direct contamination pathway. Hands carry bacteria and viruses from surfaces, other foods, and employees themselves. When those hands touch cutting boards, prep surfaces, or serving utensils that are not properly cleaned between uses, the contamination transfers. Norovirus, Vibrio, and Salmonella are all transmissible this way, and all have been linked to raw seafood outbreaks.
The absence of an employee health policy at Ceviche Avenue means the restaurant had no documented mechanism to keep sick workers away from food preparation. Norovirus in particular spreads through food handled by infected workers, and it takes fewer than 20 viral particles to cause illness in a healthy adult. A written policy is the first line of defense. Without one, there is no line.
The time-as-public-health-control violation is specific to how some kitchens manage raw or temperature-sensitive foods. Instead of keeping food cold, operators are permitted under state rules to track how long food has been in the danger zone and discard it within a defined window. When that tracking is not done properly, food stays out longer than allowed, and bacterial counts in raw seafood can climb to dangerous levels before anyone notices.
Toxic chemicals near food represent a separate and immediate risk. Cleaning agents and sanitizers can cause acute chemical poisoning if they contaminate food, and the risk is highest when containers are unlabeled or stored on the same surfaces as ingredients.
The Longer Record
The July 29 inspection was not an outlier. State records show Ceviche Avenue has been inspected 30 times and has accumulated 214 total violations. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern of high-severity findings runs back years. In March 2023, inspectors cited six high-severity violations and two intermediate ones, the same count as this month's inspection. In August 2023, the tally was five high and three intermediate. In October 2024, it was four high and two intermediate. Every inspection on record from 2023 through 2026 has included at least two high-severity violations.
The November 2025 inspection, the most recent before July's visit, found three high and two intermediate violations. The July 2026 inspection raised the high-severity count back to six, matching the worst single-visit total in the available record.
Across eight prior inspections listed in state records, Ceviche Avenue has not logged a single visit without at least two high-severity findings.
Still Open
Florida's emergency closure authority is triggered when an inspector determines that conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Six high-severity violations on July 29, including toxic chemicals near food, no illness policy, and inadequate handwashing at a raw seafood restaurant, did not meet that threshold.
The restaurant remained open after the inspection.
