MIAMI, FL. New Canton at 1825 SW 8th Street drew 11 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of August 2, the highest count among 15 Miami facilities that state inspectors cited for serious food safety failures.
The violations at New Canton included food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Inspectors also documented that employees were not washing their hands adequately and were using improper washing technique, meaning pathogens were present on hands even when workers appeared to be washing them.
Two additional high-severity citations at New Canton covered food in poor condition or adulterated and time as a public health control not properly used, a designation that means the restaurant was tracking time instead of temperature to manage food safety, and doing it wrong.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
Pho Tastic at 16772 SW 88th Street came in second with 10 high-severity violations. Among the most serious: no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food not cooked to required temperatures, and parasite destruction procedures not followed. The inspector also found no person in charge present or performing duties at the time of the visit.
That last finding at Pho Tastic is significant. CDC data consistently shows that facilities without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of supervised kitchens.
Sadelle's Coconut Grove at 3321 Mary Street drew 9 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required temperatures, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Versailles Restaurant at 3555 SW 8th Street, one of Miami's most recognized Cuban dining institutions, also accumulated 9 high-severity violations. The list included food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, toxic chemicals improperly stored, food not cooked to required temperatures, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
S 47 Lounge at 921 Brickell Avenue matched Versailles with 9 high-severity citations. Inspectors found food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish records, food not cooked to required temperatures, toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory, and both inadequate handwashing and improper technique documented in the same visit.
Coyo Taco at 2300 NW 2nd Avenue received 8 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, food not cooked to required temperatures, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Amalfi Llama Miami at 19505 Biscayne Boulevard also drew 8 high-severity violations. One citation stands apart from the rest of this week's findings: no allergen awareness demonstrated. That violation means staff could not show they understood how to prevent cross-contact with allergens, a gap that sends roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year.
Yes! Cafe and Pizza at 731 NE 79th Street was cited for 7 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, an intermediate violation that introduces fecal contamination risk throughout the facility.
Fritanga Momotombo at 15888 SW 137th Avenue drew 7 high-severity violations as well, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shellfish records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, food not cooked to required temperatures, no consumer advisory, and two separate toxic substance violations. A sewage disposal citation accompanied the high-severity findings.
Antigua Guatemala at 2741 W Flagler Street also received 7 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish records, food not cooked to required temperatures, time as a public health control not properly used, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. The facility also drew an intermediate citation for inadequate cooling equipment, meaning the hardware itself cannot reliably hold food at safe temperatures.
Chugs at 3444 Main Highway was cited for 6 high-severity violations, including improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, food not cooked to required temperatures, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and toxic substances improperly identified or used. Sewage disposal and ventilation problems rounded out the inspection report.
Rinconcito Latino Sunset at 15500 SW 72nd Street drew 4 high-severity violations. Canton Sushi Maki Dadeland at 6661 S. Dixie Highway also received 4 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored and toxic substances improperly identified or stored, both in the same inspection. Wendy's at 13530 SW 152nd Street and Pack Supermarket at 8235 NE 2nd Avenue each drew a single high-severity citation.
What These Violations Mean
The most dangerous cluster in this week's inspections involves sick employees. Pho Tastic, Sadelle's Coconut Grove, Coyo Taco, and Fritanga Momotombo were all cited for employees not reporting illness symptoms. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States at roughly 20 million cases per year, spreads overwhelmingly through infected food workers who handle food while symptomatic. A single sick employee touching a food contact surface that is also improperly sanitized, a second violation documented at all four of those facilities, creates a direct transmission chain to every customer served.
The shellfish traceability failures at New Canton, Versailles, Pho Tastic, S 47 Lounge, Yes! Cafe and Pizza, Chugs, Fritanga Momotombo, and Antigua Guatemala represent a different category of risk. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or lightly cooked. Without proper identification tags and harvest records, there is no way to trace a shellfish-related illness back to its source harvest bed or pull a contaminated lot before more people are exposed. If someone gets sick, investigators have nothing to work from.
The parasite destruction failures at New Canton, Pho Tastic, and Versailles are directly connected to the shellfish and raw fish issues. Parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork are only neutralized by reaching specific internal temperatures or by freezing to specific standards for specific durations. Skipping either step means parasites can survive and infect customers, particularly at restaurants serving raw or undercooked seafood without a posted consumer advisory, a second failure documented at Versailles, Chugs, Coyo Taco, and several others this week.
The toxic chemical and substance violations at Canton Sushi Maki Dadeland, Versailles, S 47 Lounge, Coyo Taco, Yes! Cafe and Pizza, Rinconcito Latino Sunset, Fritanga Momotombo, and Antigua Guatemala are not minor paperwork failures. Improperly stored or unlabeled chemicals stored near food or food contact surfaces can contaminate food directly, and mislabeled containers have caused acute poisoning events when employees mistook cleaning chemicals for food ingredients.
The Longer Record
Rinconcito Latino Sunset carries the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's report, with 37 prior inspections on record, and it still drew 4 high-severity violations. Chugs is close behind at 35 prior inspections, with 6 high-severity citations this week. Yes! Cafe and Pizza has 32 prior inspections and 7 high-severity violations. The volume of prior oversight at these three facilities makes this week's findings harder to explain as isolated lapses.
Versailles Restaurant and Antigua Guatemala each have 31 prior inspections on record. Both drew 9 and 7 high-severity violations respectively this week, and both share violations in the same categories: unapproved food sources, shellfish traceability, inadequate handwashing, and toxic chemical storage. Coyo Taco at 28 prior inspections and Canton Sushi Maki Dadeland at 29 also have extensive inspection histories, and both were cited this week for chemical storage failures alongside food handling violations.
Amalfi Llama Miami sits at the opposite end of the history spectrum, with only 7 prior inspections on record. It is one of the newer facilities in this week's roundup, and it already accumulated 8 high-severity violations in a single visit, including the only allergen awareness failure documented this week.
Pho Tastic has 19 prior inspections on record and drew 10 high-severity violations this week, including the full cluster of management failures: no person in charge, no employee health policy, and employees not reporting illness. Whether those three violations appeared together in earlier inspections is not reflected in this week's data.
