CORAL GABLES, FL. State inspectors visiting Fontana Restaurant at 1200 Anastasia Ave on August 27, 2026 found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, a violation that means inspectors have no way to trace that food back through the supply chain if a customer gets sick.
The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The full citation list from that single visit runs to 18 violations: 11 high-severity and 7 intermediate. Among the high-severity findings, inspectors documented that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, a condition that puts every customer in the dining room at risk of direct transmission from a sick food handler.
Inspectors also flagged that parasite destruction procedures were not being followed. That matters acutely at a restaurant that serves raw or lightly cooked fish, where parasites including Anisakis can survive if proper freezing protocols are skipped. A separate citation noted that shellfish on the premises lacked adequate identification records, meaning oysters or clams served to customers could not be traced to a certified harvest source.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled near food. Time as a public health control was not being properly applied, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without the documentation required to show it was safe.
The restaurant had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. No person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties at the time of the inspection.
On the intermediate side, inspectors cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, single-use items being reused, inadequate ventilation and lighting, improper use of wiping cloths, inadequate toilet facilities, and equipment in poor repair.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved sources is not a paperwork problem. When a restaurant sources ingredients outside the licensed supply chain, there is no mechanism to identify or recall that food if customers begin reporting illness. If someone ate at Fontana in late August and became sick, investigators tracing the source back through the kitchen would hit a wall.
The illness-reporting failure compounds that risk directly. Food workers who do not report symptoms are the primary driver of multi-victim outbreaks, particularly for norovirus, which spreads through contact with an infected person's hands. At Fontana, inspectors found both that employees were not reporting symptoms and that handwashing technique was improper, meaning any pathogens on workers' hands were not being reliably removed between tasks.
The parasite destruction citation is specific to the fish program. Restaurants serving raw or undercooked fish are required to freeze product to kill parasites before service. Without documentation that this step occurred, customers eating ceviche, sushi-style preparations, or lightly seared fish have no assurance the product was rendered safe.
Improperly stored toxic chemicals near food is among the most immediately dangerous violations a kitchen can accumulate. Mislabeled or misplaced cleaning agents have caused acute poisoning incidents when they contaminated food or beverages, and unlike bacterial illness, chemical poisoning can produce symptoms within minutes of ingestion.
The Longer Record
The August 2026 inspection was not an anomaly. Fontana has been inspected 27 times in the state's records and has accumulated 371 total violations across that history. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern in the prior inspection data is consistent. In March 2025, inspectors cited 8 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations. In December 2022, the count was 5 high and 2 intermediate. Even the lighter visits, including August 2025 with 1 high violation and December 2025 with 3 high, show that high-severity citations have appeared at virtually every inspection on record going back years.
The August 2026 inspection produced the highest single-visit violation count in the available history, more than doubling the previous worst documented visit. That escalation, against a backdrop of 27 inspections and 371 cumulative violations, is the context the record provides.
Still Open
Fontana Restaurant at 1200 Anastasia Ave in Coral Gables remained open for business after the August 27, 2026 inspection. Eleven high-severity violations, including unapproved food sources, sick employees not reporting illness, and improperly stored toxic chemicals, were not sufficient under state enforcement thresholds to trigger an emergency closure order.
The 371st violation is on record. The restaurant is still serving customers.
