MIAMI, FL. Inspectors cited Candies Cabaret at 2663 NW 36th Street for 10 high-severity violations during the week of April 20, 2026, the highest single-facility count among 15 Miami-Dade establishments flagged that week, with findings that included food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, no employee health policy, and inadequate handwashing by staff.
No person in charge was present or performing duties during the inspection. That finding alone correlates, according to CDC data cited in inspection records, with three times the rate of critical violations at a given establishment.
The Week's Worst Findings
Four other facilities tied for second place with 8 high-severity violations each. El Palacio de los Jugos at 1100 E 4th Avenue was cited for food from unapproved sources, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and two separate chemical storage violations covering both improperly labeled chemicals and toxic substances.
Spanglish and Grails at 2800 N Miami Avenue drew citations for parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, inadequate handwashing by employees, improper handwashing technique, and improperly stored chemicals. A restaurant serving items that require parasite destruction, such as raw or undercooked fish, must freeze those items to specific temperatures for specific durations before service. That step was not documented.
MIA Market at 140 NE 39th Street had no person in charge present, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or mislabeled, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals. The food from unapproved sources finding is among the most serious of the week: without a documented supply chain, there is no way to trace an illness back to its origin if a customer becomes sick.
Vale Food Company Brickell at 900 S Miami Avenue was cited for no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and improperly stored chemicals. The shell stock violation means the restaurant could not demonstrate that its oysters, clams, or mussels came from a certified, traceable source.
Sovereign of Miami LLC at 22 NE 3rd Avenue accumulated the same count through a different combination: inadequate handwashing by employees, food in poor condition, inadequate shell stock identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals.
Perl by Chef IP at 2420 NE 186th Street drew six high-severity citations, including an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Tayrona at 2519 NW 2nd Avenue was cited for seven high-severity violations: inadequate handwashing by employees, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, an intermediate violation that carries a risk of fecal contamination throughout the facility.
Bahama Fish at 7202 SW 8th Street had seven high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory. No adequate handwashing facilities means the physical infrastructure for basic hygiene was not in place, not simply that employees were skipping steps.
El Encuentro Restaurant at 3511 NW 17th Avenue was cited for three high-severity violations, including improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and two chemical violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and improper sanitizing procedures.
Ming Yuan Restaurant at 3006 NW 2nd Avenue drew four high-severity citations, including improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and two chemical violations. Barbeque Stop Company at 1400 NW 23rd Street was cited for two high-severity violations, including food in poor condition and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
El Gallito Grill at 205 SW 8th Avenue and Lo D'Alex at 9610 SW 8th Street each drew one high-severity violation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, along with citations for reusing single-use items and inadequate ventilation. SR Ceviche at 2576 NE Miami Gardens Drive was also cited for one high-severity violation involving food contact surfaces, plus improper sewage disposal and inadequate ventilation.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved sources, cited at Candies Cabaret, El Palacio de los Jugos, and MIA Market, is one of the hardest violations to dismiss as paperwork. When food enters a kitchen without a documented chain of custody, there is no way to verify that it passed federal inspection, no way to identify a contaminated lot if customers begin reporting illness, and no way to pull the product from other locations if a recall is issued.
The cluster of handwashing violations across this week's inspections is notable for its breadth. Inadequate handwashing facilities at El Palacio de los Jugos and Bahama Fish means the sinks, soap, or drying materials were not present or accessible. Improper technique, cited at Candies Cabaret, Perl by Chef IP, Spanglish and Grails, MIA Market, Vale Food Company Brickell, Tayrona, Bahama Fish, and others, means employees were going through the motions without removing pathogens. Studies show that even a brief handwashing attempt using incorrect technique leaves significant bacterial loads on hands.
The parasite destruction failures at Spanglish and Grails, Vale Food Company Brickell, and Sovereign of Miami LLC carry direct risk for customers ordering raw or undercooked fish. Parasites including Anisakis survive light cooking and sushi-grade preparation unless the fish has been frozen to specific temperatures for a defined period. When that step is skipped or undocumented, the risk transfers entirely to the customer, with no warning.
No employee health policy, cited at Candies Cabaret, El Palacio de los Jugos, Vale Food Company Brickell, and Bahama Fish, means there is no written protocol requiring sick workers to stay home or report symptoms. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads readily from a single infected food handler to dozens of customers in a single service period.
The Longer Record
Bahama Fish has 44 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility flagged this week, and still drew seven high-severity violations including the absence of basic handwashing infrastructure. A facility that has been inspected 44 times and still lacks adequate handwashing facilities is not dealing with a new compliance gap.
El Gallito Grill has 33 prior inspections and Barbeque Stop Company has 31. Both continue to draw citations for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, a violation that appears repeatedly across facilities with long inspection histories in this week's data.
Vale Food Company Brickell, with 26 prior inspections, and Sovereign of Miami LLC, with 25, both accumulated 8 high-severity violations this week despite substantial inspection histories. Ming Yuan Restaurant also carries 25 prior inspections and drew four high-severity citations including two chemical violations.
At the other end of the record, El Palacio de los Jugos has only 7 prior inspections and already accumulated 8 high-severity violations this week, including food from unapproved sources and no employee health policy. Candies Cabaret has 16 prior inspections and produced the week's highest violation count. Both are relatively early in their inspection histories and have already reached the severity levels that facilities with 30 or 40 inspections are still generating.
El Palacio de los Jugos at 1100 E 4th Avenue had 7 prior inspections before this week's 8 high-severity citations, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was among them.