MIAMI, FL. Aoki Teppanyaki at 7535 N. Kendall Drive drew 11 high-severity violations during the week of August 5, the highest single-facility count among 15 Miami-area restaurants cited for serious food safety failures in state inspection records released this week.
Inspectors documented food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers at Aoki, a violation that strips away any ability to trace an illness back to its origin if a customer gets sick. They also found inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and food that had not been cooked to required minimum temperatures. A person in charge was either absent or not performing duties during the inspection. No employee health policy was on file.
One additional citation at Aoki involved inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning oysters, clams, or mussels being served there could not be traced to a certified harvest source.
The Violations
On Brickell Avenue, S 47 Lounge at 921 Brickell Ave. accumulated nine high-severity violations. Inspectors found food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated on the premises, along with inadequate shell stock records, food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. The lounge also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a notice that warns pregnant women, elderly diners, and immunocompromised customers that certain menu items carry elevated risk.
Two doors down the avenue, Balans Brickell at 901 S. Miami Ave. drew seven high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and the same missing consumer advisory. Multi-use utensils had not been properly cleaned.
On NW 2nd Avenue in Wynwood, Coyo Taco was cited for eight high-severity violations. Among them: an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. Coyo Taco also had no written employee health policy and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
One of the week's two emergency closures came from that same stretch of NE 2nd Avenue. Tacombi, at 3930 NE 2nd Ave., was shut down on August 6 after inspectors documented rodent and fly activity on the premises. The facility had not reopened as of the records reviewed for this report.
Fritanga Momotombo at 15888 SW 137th Ave. was cited for seven high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, inadequate shell stock identification, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and two separate chemical violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Exito Salvadoreno at 1837 SW 8th St. drew seven high-severity violations, among them food found in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and food not cooked to minimum required temperatures. The restaurant had no written employee health policy and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Polo Norte Kendall Inc. at 13901 SW 42nd St. was cited for seven high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved or unknown sources, inadequate shell stock records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food not cooked to minimum temperatures.
In the Design District, Torno Subito at 4040 NE 2nd Ave. drew six high-severity violations, including a person in charge not present or not performing duties, improper wastewater disposal, toxic substances improperly identified or used, and a citation for no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. That last violation is notable: inspectors found no evidence that employees could identify or communicate food allergen risks to customers.
La Granja Parrilla and Seafood at 127 SE 2nd Ave. was cited for six high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Auld Dubliner at 91 NW 1st St. had six high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Citadel at 8300 NE 2nd Ave. was cited for six high-severity violations, among them a failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, pork, or wild game. That violation means certain proteins were being served without the required freezing or cooking steps that kill parasites including Anisakis and Trichinella. Inspectors also found an employee not reporting illness symptoms and a person in charge not performing duties.
Chugs at 3444 Main Hwy. drew six high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock records, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also flagged improper sewage disposal.
El Primo Red Tacos at 179 E. Flagler St. was cited for six high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, food not cooked to minimum temperatures, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar at 701 S. Miami Ave. drew six high-severity violations, including a person in charge not present or not performing duties, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food not cooked to minimum temperatures.
Rinconcito Latino Sunset at 15500 SW 72nd St. was cited for four high-severity violations, including improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
What These Violations Mean
The single most consequential violation type documented this week is food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Aoki Teppanyaki, Balans Brickell, Polo Norte Kendall, and Auld Dubliner. When a restaurant cannot document where its food came from, investigators have no way to trace an illness outbreak back to a contaminated shipment. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli outbreaks are typically identified by matching patient samples to a specific lot of food from a specific supplier. Without that paper trail, sick customers have nowhere to turn and regulators cannot pull the product.
The "employee not reporting symptoms of illness" citation, documented at Coyo Taco, Fritanga Momotombo, Citadel, and CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar, is the most direct route from a sick worker to a sick customer. Norovirus, which causes more than 20 million illnesses in the United States annually, spreads through microscopic amounts of fecal matter. A food worker with active symptoms who handles ready-to-eat food can infect dozens of diners in a single shift.
"Person in charge not present or not performing duties," cited at Aoki Teppanyaki, Torno Subito, Citadel, and CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar, is not a paperwork problem. CDC research shows that facilities without active managerial oversight accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with engaged supervision. The absence of a functioning person in charge is often the reason multiple other violations appear on the same inspection report.
Inadequate shell stock identification records, cited at Aoki Teppanyaki, S 47 Lounge, Balans Brickell, Polo Norte Kendall, Fritanga Momotombo, Chugs, and El Primo Red Tacos, carries a specific danger that other traceability failures do not. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or barely cooked, and they filter seawater that can carry Vibrio bacteria and norovirus. Without harvest tags on file, there is no way to identify a contaminated shellfish bed after customers fall ill.
The Longer Record
Rinconcito Latino Sunset and Aoki Teppanyaki carry the two longest inspection histories among this week's cited facilities, with 37 and 36 prior inspections on record respectively. Rinconcito Latino's four high-severity violations this week come after nearly four dozen state visits. Aoki's 11 high-severity violations, the worst count of the week, arrive at a restaurant that has been inspected more than three dozen times.
Chugs has 35 prior inspections on record and was still cited this week for inadequate shell stock identification, a violation that requires nothing more than keeping paperwork on file. CMX Brickell Stone Sports Bar has 32 prior inspections behind it and still lacked a person in charge performing duties when inspectors arrived.
By contrast, Torno Subito has only seven prior inspections on record, making it one of the newest facilities in this week's group. Its six high-severity violations in an early inspection, including no allergen awareness demonstrated and improper sewage disposal, represent a significant accumulation of serious citations for a facility that has barely been in the inspection cycle.
Citadel has 17 prior inspections and was already citing parasite destruction failures and sewage disposal problems this week. The parasite destruction citation, which requires documented freezing or cooking protocols for specific proteins, is not a violation that appears by accident. It requires the absence of an established procedure.
Tacombi, emergency-closed August 6 for rodent and fly activity, had no prior inspection count included in state records reviewed for this report.
