MIAMI, FL. Inspectors visiting El Encuentro Restaurant on NW 17th Avenue on April 20 found toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, and food that had not been cooked to the required minimum temperature, among ten separate high-severity violations. The restaurant was not closed.
The April 20 inspection produced 15 total violations, ten of them high-severity, five intermediate. That is the highest single-inspection violation count in the facility's documented history.
What Inspectors Found
The two chemical violations are among the most immediately dangerous on the list. Improperly stored or unlabeled chemicals placed near food create a direct contamination path, and inspectors documented both improper storage and improper identification of toxic substances during the same visit.
Food that was not cooked to the required minimum temperature was also cited. Undercooked poultry can harbor salmonella, which survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. There is no way to detect it by sight or smell.
The shellfish traceability violation is a separate category of risk. When shellfish records are missing or inadequate, there is no way to trace the source of an oyster, clam, or mussel if a customer becomes ill. That gap can delay or prevent a recall entirely.
An employee was found not reporting symptoms of illness. Food workers are the leading source of norovirus transmission in restaurant outbreaks, and that pathway begins when a symptomatic employee continues working without disclosure.
The five intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, improper sanitizing procedures, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate toilet facilities. Sewage exposure creates fecal contamination risk throughout a kitchen. Improperly cleaned utensils develop bacterial biofilms within 24 hours, biofilms that standard wiping does not remove.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of violations documented on April 20 is not a list of isolated lapses. It is a systems failure. When no person in charge is present or performing duties, CDC data shows establishments accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of managed kitchens. That context is important here, because almost every other violation on this list, including the chemical storage, the cooking temperatures, the handwashing technique, and the employee illness disclosure, falls into the category of things active managerial oversight is designed to catch and correct.
The consumer advisory violation compounds the cooking temperature citation. When food is served raw or undercooked and no advisory appears on the menu, elderly customers, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems have no way to make an informed choice about what they are ordering.
Improper sewage disposal is the violation that receives the least attention and carries some of the most serious consequences. Raw sewage contains pathogens including E. coli, hepatitis A, and norovirus. When disposal is improper, those pathogens can reach food prep surfaces, utensils, and food directly.
The Longer Record
The April 20 inspection does not stand alone. El Encuentro Restaurant has 28 inspections on record and 271 total violations across its documented history. That is an average of nearly 10 violations per inspection visit.
The prior eight inspections, dating to June 2024, tell a consistent story. In March 2025, inspectors visited three times in four days, finding 8 high-severity violations on March 3, 6 high-severity violations on March 4, and 2 high-severity violations on March 6. The July 2025 inspection found 6 high-severity violations. The March 2026 inspection found 3 high-severity violations. None of those inspections resulted in an emergency closure.
The pattern across those visits is not one of a kitchen struggling with a single recurring problem. High-severity violations across this record have included food handling, temperature control, and management presence, categories that span the full range of food safety risk.
The day after the April 20 inspection, on April 21, inspectors returned and found 3 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations. The restaurant had not been closed in the intervening period.
Open for Business
State records show El Encuentro Restaurant has never been emergency-closed in its 28 inspections on record, including the April 20 visit that produced 10 high-severity violations in a single day.
The restaurant at 3511 NW 17th Avenue remained open after inspectors documented toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, an employee not disclosing illness symptoms, food not cooked to required temperatures, and no shellfish traceability records, all on the same afternoon.
It was open the next morning when inspectors came back.