MIAMI, FL. State inspectors cited Le Specialita/Kryu at 40 NE 41 Street with 14 high-severity violations during the week of June 2, making it the most-cited restaurant in Miami-Dade County for the period and one of the worst single-week records in recent city inspection data.
The violations at the Design District restaurant were sweeping. Inspectors found food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock identification records, and no documented parasite destruction procedures for fish. No person in charge was present or performing duties. No employee health policy existed. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms. Handwashing technique was improper.
Le Specialita/Kryu has only two prior inspections on record, meaning this week's findings emerged from a facility still in its earliest stage of regulatory scrutiny.
The Week's Worst Offenders
Citadel at 8300 NE 2 Avenue drew 10 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, no parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The Little Haiti food hall location has 16 prior inspections on record.
Suviche at 49 SW 11 Street also received 10 high-severity citations. Inspectors found three distinct handwashing failures at the Brickell-area restaurant: inadequate handwashing by employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. Shell stock identification records were inadequate and no consumer advisory for raw foods was posted.
Caracas Bakery at 7283 Biscayne Blvd accumulated 9 high-severity violations, among them food from an unapproved source, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, and two separate chemical storage violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Charlatam Restaurant and Bar at 2525 SW 3 Avenue received 9 high-severity violations and zero intermediate violations. Inspectors cited food from an unapproved source, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and time as a public health control not properly used. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms and handwashing was cited on two counts.
Bocas House at 10200 NW 25 Street drew 6 high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, inadequate handwashing facilities, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inspectors also noted time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Rinconcito Latino Sunset at 15500 SW 72nd Street was cited for 8 high-severity violations: food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored, improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, and no consumer advisory for raw foods.
El Mayimbe Fritanga Tortilla at 304 SW 8 Avenue received 7 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Toasted Bagelry and Deli at 3693 SW 22 Terrace was cited for 7 high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock identification, food not cooked to minimum temperature, two chemical storage violations, and time as a public health control not properly used. Inspectors also flagged inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment as an intermediate violation.
Red Rooster Overtown at 920-924 NW 2 Avenue, the celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson restaurant in the Overtown neighborhood, drew 5 high-severity violations: inadequate handwashing by employees, food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Subway at 6542 Collins Avenue on Miami Beach received 6 high-severity violations including no person in charge, improper handwashing technique, toxic chemicals improperly stored, toxic substances improperly identified or used, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread violation this week, appearing at Suviche, Citadel, Charlatam, El Mayimbe, and eight other facilities, was some form of handwashing failure. That category splits into three distinct problems: employees not washing hands at all, facilities lacking adequate handwashing infrastructure, and employees using improper technique even when they do attempt to wash. Each is a separate failure. Hands carry Norovirus, Salmonella, E. coli, and Hepatitis A directly to food and surfaces. Improper technique, even with soap and water, leaves live pathogens behind.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Le Specialita/Kryu, Caracas Bakery, Charlatam, and Rinconcito Latino Sunset, means inspectors could not verify where the food originated. That traceability gap is critical: when a customer gets sick, investigators trace illness to a source. Food with no documented origin cannot be recalled, cannot be traced, and cannot be linked to an outbreak until people are already ill.
Parasite destruction failures, documented at Le Specialita/Kryu, Citadel, Caracas Bakery, and Chicken Kitchen, are specific to fish and certain meats served raw or undercooked. Anisakis, a parasitic worm found in raw fish, and Trichinella, found in undercooked pork, survive without proper freezing or cooking. The required procedures exist precisely because the parasites are invisible and tasteless.
Chemical storage violations appeared at Bocas House, Caracas Bakery, Rinconcito Latino Sunset, El Mayimbe, Toasted Bagelry, Rincon Porteno, Chicken Kitchen, Sak Pase, Habibi Kush, and Subway. Cleaning chemicals stored near or above food prep surfaces can contaminate food through spills or mislabeling. Several facilities this week received both the "improperly stored" and "improperly identified" citation simultaneously, meaning chemicals were neither in the right place nor properly labeled.
The Longer Record
The most troubling inspection histories this week belong to facilities that have been visited dozens of times and are still accumulating serious violations. Bocas House has 36 prior inspections on record, the highest count among this week's cited facilities, and still drew 6 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing infrastructure and food not cooked to temperature. Rinconcito Latino Sunset has 35 prior inspections and this week was cited for food from an unapproved source alongside cooking temperature and chemical storage failures.
El Mayimbe Fritanga Tortilla has 27 prior inspections. Suviche has 25. Rincon Porteno at 12214 SW 8 Street has 23 prior inspections and this week drew 6 high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock records, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed. Toasted Bagelry and Deli has 31 prior inspections and received two separate chemical hazard citations this week alongside inadequate cold-holding equipment.
At the opposite end, Le Specialita/Kryu's 14 high-severity violations came on just its second inspection on record. Sak Pase Restaurant at 10981 SW 186 Street has 11 prior inspections and this week drew an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, in addition to 5 high-severity citations including improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Chicken Kitchen at 6907 Biscayne Blvd has 12 prior inspections and was cited for parasite destruction failures and food in poor condition alongside improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
Habibi Kush at 930 NE 79 Street has 15 prior inspections and drew 5 high-severity violations this week including inadequate shell stock records, food not cooked to required temperature, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. The facility also received three intermediate violations: multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, improper sanitizing solution or procedures, and single-use items improperly reused.
Red Rooster Overtown, with 17 prior inspections, was cited for food not cooked to minimum required temperature. Whether that violation has appeared in prior inspection records at the Overtown location is not reflected in this week's data.