MIAMI, FL. A state inspector walked into Isla del Encanto on SW 120th Street on September 10, 2026, and found food not cooked to its required minimum temperature, a violation that means pathogens like Salmonella can survive on the plate and reach the customer.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented that day. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooking violation sits alongside a citation for toxic substances that were improperly identified, stored, or used. That means chemicals capable of contaminating food or surfaces were not properly controlled somewhere in the operation.
Inspectors also cited the restaurant for failing to maintain adequate shell stock identification records. Isla del Encanto's name translates to "Island of Enchantment," and the menu reflects Caribbean coastal cooking, where shellfish appear frequently.
The inspector further documented that employees were not properly reporting symptoms of illness, and that handwashing technique was inadequate. Both violations were cited on the same day, at the same facility.
A citation for improper use of time as a public health control rounded out the six high-severity findings. The four intermediate violations included reuse of single-use items, improper wiping cloth use, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The undercooking violation is among the most direct paths from a kitchen to a hospital. Salmonella in poultry requires an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be destroyed. Food pulled from heat before reaching that threshold can carry live bacteria to a customer's plate. There is no visible sign that food is undercooked to the level required for safety.
The shell stock traceability failure compounds the risk at a restaurant where shellfish are likely on the menu. Oysters, clams, and mussels are often consumed raw or lightly cooked, and without proper identification tags and records, there is no way to trace a contaminated batch if customers become sick. That traceability gap can delay a public health response by days.
The illness-reporting failure and the handwashing technique violation are connected. An employee who is sick and does not report it is a direct transmission route for norovirus, which spreads person to person through contaminated hands and surfaces. Improper handwashing technique means that even when an employee goes through the motion of washing, pathogens remain on their hands and transfer to food.
The toxic substances violation adds a separate, unrelated risk. Improperly stored or unlabeled chemicals can be mistaken for food-safe products, or they can drip, spill, or contaminate food contact surfaces. That risk exists regardless of whether any food safety practices are otherwise followed correctly.
The Longer Record
The September 10 inspection was not an aberration. State records show 34 inspections on file for this location, with 262 total violations documented across that history.
The pattern of high-severity violations is not new. On February 9, 2026, inspectors cited the restaurant for six high-severity and five intermediate violations, a nearly identical profile to September's findings. Four months later, on April 30, 2026, four more high-severity violations were documented.
The facility has never been emergency-closed. Between the February 9 spike and the April 30 follow-up, inspectors visited twice in the same month and found zero high-severity violations on both February 9 and February 17. That suggests the restaurant can meet standards when it chooses to, or when inspectors visit in close succession.
The August 2024 inspection also produced six high-severity and four intermediate violations, an exact match for September 2026's count. That inspection was two years before the most recent one. The numbers did not change.
Still Open
State rules allow inspectors to close a facility immediately when conditions pose an imminent threat to public health. Six high-severity violations, including undercooking, toxic substance mishandling, illness-reporting failures, and shellfish traceability gaps, did not meet that threshold on September 10.
Isla del Encanto was not closed.
The 262 violations across 34 inspections place this location among the more heavily cited restaurants in Miami-Dade's records. The most recent inspection added ten more to that total, and the doors stayed open.
