MIAMI, FL. La Bodega Restaurant at 13774 SW 88th Street drew 11 high-severity violations during the week of April 21, 2026, the highest single-facility count among the 15 Miami restaurants cited for serious infractions, with inspectors documenting that the restaurant had no employee health policy, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, that handwashing facilities were inadequate, and that food came from unapproved or unknown sources.
The Week's Most Serious Findings
La Bodega also lacked adequate shellfish identification records, had food documented as being in poor condition, and inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties. That combination, an absent manager, no illness policy, food from unverified sources, and employees not reporting symptoms, represents a near-complete breakdown of the oversight systems designed to prevent an outbreak.
Candies Cabaret at 2663 NW 36th Street recorded 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Undercooked food is among the most direct routes to a Salmonella or E. coli illness event.
Paseo Catracho at 824 SW 8th Street accumulated nine high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The shellfish traceability violation is particularly significant at a facility serving raw or lightly cooked seafood.
El Palacio de los Jugos at 1100 E 4th Avenue drew eight high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, no consumer advisory, and two separate chemical storage violations. The dual toxic-substance citations indicate chemicals were both improperly labeled and improperly stored near food.
Spanglish and Grails at 2800 N Miami Avenue also recorded eight high-severity violations, with inspectors noting inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, unsanitary food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals. The parasite destruction citation means the facility is serving fish or meat without the required freezing or cooking protocols that kill Anisakis and tapeworm larvae.
MIA Market at 140 NE 39th Street had eight high-severity violations as well, including no person in charge, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, unsanitary food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals.
Sovereign of Miami LLC at 22 NE 3rd Avenue matched that count with eight high-severity citations covering inadequate handwashing, food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish identification, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to minimum temperature, improper time-as-public-health-control use, no consumer advisory, and chemical storage violations.
The Closure and the Mid-Tier Violations
El Gallito Grill at 205 SW 8th Avenue was emergency-closed on April 24 for temperature violations in food storage. The facility recorded one high-severity citation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and two intermediate violations. It carries 33 prior inspections on record.
Bahama Fish Market at 7202 SW 8th Street drew seven high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, unsanitary food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also cited improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, which develop bacterial biofilms within 24 hours of inadequate cleaning.
Groovin' Bean at 801 NW 3rd Avenue had seven high-severity violations: inadequate handwashing by food employees, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, unsanitary food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory.
Ming Yuan Restaurant at 3006 NW 2nd Avenue recorded four high-severity violations, including unsanitary food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and two chemical violations, one for improper storage or labeling and one for improper identification, storage, or use of toxic substances.
Vale Food Company Brickell at 900 S Miami Avenue drew four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also documented.
Barbeque Stop Company at 1400 NW 23rd Street had two high-severity violations for food in poor condition and unsanitary food contact surfaces, alongside intermediate citations for reused single-use items and inadequate ventilation. Mexico 1810 at 1778 NW 36th Street recorded two high-severity violations for unsanitary food contact surfaces and improperly stored chemicals. Lo D'Alex at 9610 SW 8th Street drew one high-severity violation for unsanitary food contact surfaces and two intermediate citations.
What These Violations Mean
The cluster of employee illness violations at La Bodega, Candies Cabaret, Paseo Catracho, El Palacio de los Jugos, and Bahama Fish Market represents one of the most direct outbreak pathways in food service. Without a written health policy, workers with Norovirus or Salmonella have no structured obligation to report symptoms or stay home. Norovirus spreads to food through hand contact and can sicken dozens of customers from a single infected worker preparing food without any visible sign that anything is wrong.
The food-from-unapproved-sources citation, documented at La Bodega, Candies Cabaret, Paseo Catracho, El Palacio de los Jugos, MIA Market, and Groovin' Bean, carries a specific traceability risk that goes beyond the food itself. When an illness cluster emerges, investigators trace it backward through the supply chain. Food purchased outside licensed, inspected distributors has no chain of custody. If customers at any of these facilities become ill this week, identifying the source becomes substantially harder.
The parasite destruction failures at Spanglish and Grails, Sovereign of Miami, and Vale Food Company Brickell mean that fish or other susceptible proteins are reaching customers without the freeze-kill or cook-kill step that eliminates Anisakis worms and tapeworm larvae. These parasites cause symptoms that can be misdiagnosed for weeks.
Chemical storage violations appeared at Ming Yuan, Paseo Catracho, El Palacio de los Jugos, Spanglish and Grails, MIA Market, Sovereign of Miami, Bahama Fish Market, Groovin' Bean, and Mexico 1810. Nine facilities in a single week with chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food is not a paperwork problem. Mislabeled cleaning agents stored near prep surfaces have caused acute poisoning events when they were mistaken for food-grade products.
The Longer Record
La Bodega's 11 high-severity violations this week come against a backdrop of 49 prior inspections on record, the longest inspection history among all 15 facilities cited. Forty-nine inspections is a substantial accumulation, and this week's findings, covering management failure, illness policy gaps, food sourcing, and shellfish traceability, suggest the same categories of concern appearing again.
Bahama Fish Market at 7202 SW 8th Street carries 44 prior inspections. This week's seven high-severity violations included no person in charge and no employee health policy, categories that represent foundational management failures rather than one-time oversights.
El Gallito Grill, the only emergency closure this week, has 33 prior inspections on record. Mexico 1810, with 35 prior inspections, recorded chemical storage and unsanitary contact surface violations. Both facilities have long enough histories that this week's findings are not early-stage growing pains.
Candies Cabaret, with 10 high-severity violations this week, has only 16 prior inspections on record. El Palacio de los Jugos has just 7. A facility in its early inspections accumulating eight high-severity violations, including dual chemical citations and a food-sourcing violation, is a different kind of concern: the patterns that prove hardest to correct are often the ones established earliest. El Palacio de los Jugos's inspection history is still short enough that this week's findings will shape most of what that record ultimately shows.