MIRAMAR, FL. Inspectors who visited China House at 10942 Pembroke Road on June 10 found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that means customers may have been served poultry or other proteins that never reached the heat threshold needed to kill Salmonella and other pathogens. That finding was one of six high-severity violations documented during the visit. The restaurant was not closed.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood not cooked to required minimum temperaturePathogen survival risk
2HIGHToxic chemicals improperly stored or labeledAcute poisoning risk
3HIGHFood in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulteratedFoodborne illness risk
4HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned/sanitizedCross-contamination risk
5HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniqueDirect pathogen transfer
6HIGHTime as public health control not properly usedTime-temperature abuse
7INTMulti-use utensils not properly cleanedBiofilm risk
8INTImproper sanitizing solution or proceduresSanitizer failure
9INTImproper use of wiping clothsContamination spread
10INTInadequate ventilation and lightingAir quality hazard
11INTInadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilitiesHygiene infrastructure failure

The undercooked food violation was not the only finding that placed customers at direct risk. Inspectors also documented toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, a condition that can cause acute poisoning if a chemical contaminates food or is mistaken for a food-safe product.

Food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated was cited as a third high-severity violation. The state's classification of this violation covers spoiled food, food that cannot be traced to an approved source, and food that has been altered in a way that makes it unsafe.

Food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and equipment that touch food directly, were found not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also cited improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning employees were going through the motion of handwashing without actually removing pathogens from their hands. The sixth high-severity finding involved time as a public health control, a method that allows food to stay in the temperature danger zone for a limited window. Inspectors found that system was not being followed properly.

Five intermediate violations accompanied the six high-severity findings. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, sanitizing solutions were improper, wiping cloths were used incorrectly, ventilation and lighting were inadequate, and toilet facilities were inadequate or improperly maintained.

What These Violations Mean

The undercooking violation is among the most direct routes to a foodborne illness outbreak. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and a single serving of undercooked chicken can cause illness within hours. When inspectors find this violation at a restaurant like China House, where poultry dishes are central to the menu, the risk is not theoretical.

The toxic chemical storage violation adds a separate and acute hazard. Chemicals stored near food or mislabeled can contaminate a dish without any visible sign. A customer would have no way of knowing.

Improper handwashing technique compounds every other violation on the list. An employee who touches raw poultry, attempts to wash their hands incorrectly, and then handles a ready-to-eat item has effectively transferred whatever was on the raw protein to the finished dish. The citation at China House was for technique failure, meaning the handwashing was happening but not working.

Improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and inadequate sanitizer concentration, both cited as intermediate violations, mean that the surfaces and tools used to prepare food were not being decontaminated between uses. Bacterial biofilms can develop on improperly cleaned utensils within 24 hours and become resistant to standard cleaning after that point.

The Longer Record

The June 10 inspection was not an aberration. China House has 35 inspections on record and 469 total violations documented across those visits.

China House Inspection History: High-Severity Violations

2018-03-05: Emergency ClosureRoach activity. Facility was allowed to reopen three days later on March 8.
2023-11-0812 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate violations documented in a single visit.
2024-02-058 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate violations.
2024-07-266 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate violations.
2024-12-035 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate violations.
2025-06-174 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate violations.
2025-10-148 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate violations.
2026-01-275 high-severity violations and 0 intermediate violations.
2026-06-106 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate violations. Facility remained open.

Every inspection on record over the past three years has produced high-severity violations. The November 2023 visit produced 12 high-severity findings in a single inspection. The February 2024 visit produced eight. The October 2025 visit produced eight more.

The categories have overlapped across visits. Food temperature violations, food contact surface violations, and handwashing failures have appeared repeatedly. The restaurant was emergency-closed once, in March 2018, after inspectors found roach activity. It reopened three days later.

Still Open

The June 10 inspection ended with six high-severity violations documented and the restaurant permitted to remain in operation. Among those violations was food not cooked to the temperature required to kill Salmonella, and toxic chemicals stored improperly near food.

China House has accumulated 469 violations across 35 inspections and has been emergency-closed once in its recorded history.

After the June 10 visit, it was still serving customers.