MIAMI, FL. Inspectors walked into Maman at 98 SE 8 St during the week of May 18 and left with 10 high-severity violations documented in a single visit, the most of any facility inspected in Miami that week, and the restaurant had only been inspected twice before.
The citations at the Brickell cafe covered nearly every major food safety category. Inspectors found food from unapproved or unknown sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish. Food was found in poor condition. Food was not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Food contact surfaces had not been properly cleaned or sanitized. Two separate handwashing violations were documented: employees were not washing their hands adequately, and those who did attempt to wash were using improper technique.
Ten high-severity violations in three inspections total is a number that stands on its own.
The Worst of the Week
Vice City Pizza at 2615 SW 147 Ave logged nine high-severity violations, second only to Maman for the week. Inspectors found no employee health policy in place, two separate handwashing violations, food in poor condition, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled.
The pizza shop also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, meaning customers ordering anything prepared below required temperatures had no way of knowing it.
Moon Thai and Japanese at 16311 SW 88 St drew eight high-severity violations, including a double chemical hazard: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also found that employees were not reporting illness symptoms and were using improper handwashing technique. Shellfish identification records were inadequate. Time as a public health control was not being properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was posted.
Bahamas Fish Market and Restaurant No. 2 at 13399 SW 42 St had seven high-severity violations, including the same double chemical hazard pattern found at Moon Thai. Food was found in poor condition and food contact surfaces were not properly sanitized. No employee health policy was on file, no consumer advisory was posted, and time as a public health control was not properly used.
El Bagel at 3015 Grand Ave in Coconut Grove racked up six high-severity violations. Inspectors found food from unapproved sources, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms and were using improper handwashing technique. No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was posted.
Chateau ZZ's at 1500 Brickell Ave also drew six high-severity violations on what was only its fifth inspection on record. Inspectors found food from unapproved sources, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, toxic substances improperly stored or used, and no employee health policy. No consumer advisory was posted. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also documented.
Two locations operating under the Snappers Fish and Chicken name were both cited this week. Snappers Fish and Chicken at 18312 NW 7 Ave drew two high-severity violations: inadequate handwashing by food employees and food contact surfaces not properly sanitized. Snappers Fish and Chicken at 6700 NW 7 Ave had five high-severity violations, including improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
More Violations Across the City
Springhill Suites Miami Arts and Health District at 1311 NW 10 Ave had five high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, food not cooked to required temperatures, toxic substances improperly stored, and two handwashing violations. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also on the report.
Naruto 88 Bistro at 18514 NW 67 Ave drew five high-severity violations. The person in charge was not present or not performing duties. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms. Food was coming from unapproved sources. Food contact surfaces were not properly sanitized, and toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled.
DC Pie Co. at 1010 Brickell Ave had five high-severity violations including both a missing person in charge and no employee health policy, meaning neither a management layer nor a formal sick-worker protocol was functioning. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms. Improper handwashing technique and unsanitary food contact surfaces were also documented.
Napoli 1800 Cucina and Pizzeria at 11510 SW 147th Ave had five high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
China Town at 649 NW 62 St drew five high-severity violations including failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, inadequate shellfish identification records, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
The Spa Cafe at 1 Quay Blvd had five high-severity violations: food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required temperatures, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Dona Paulina I at 8263 SW 40 St drew two high-severity violations: food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited this week at Maman, El Bagel, Chateau ZZ's, Naruto 88 Bistro, Napoli 1800, and The Spa Cafe, means inspectors could not verify where the food came from. If a customer gets sick, there is no supply chain to trace. Unapproved sources bypass USDA and FDA safety inspections, meaning the food could be harboring Listeria, Salmonella, or E. coli with no prior testing to catch it.
Parasite destruction failures, found at Maman, El Bagel, Chateau ZZ's, and China Town, mean that raw or undercooked fish was potentially served without the required freezing or cooking protocols that kill parasites like Anisakis and tapeworm. These are not hypothetical risks. They are the reason the protocol exists.
The handwashing failures documented across nearly every facility on this week's list represent the most direct contamination pathway in food service. At facilities like Vice City Pizza, Moon Thai, DC Pie Co., and Springhill Suites, inspectors found both that employees were not washing their hands and that those who did attempt to wash were doing it incorrectly. Those are two separate failures at the same sink.
Toxic chemical violations appeared at nine of the fifteen facilities cited this week: Moon Thai, Bahamas Fish Market, Snappers on NW 7 Ave, Dona Paulina, Naruto 88 Bistro, Napoli 1800, China Town, Vice City Pizza, and El Bagel. Improperly stored chemicals near food can contaminate a meal without anyone noticing until a customer is already sick.
The Longer Record
The facility with the longest inspection history on this week's list is Snappers Fish and Chicken on NW 7 Ave at 18312, with 52 prior inspections on record. It drew two high-severity violations this week. The location at 6700 NW 7 Ave has 42 prior inspections and drew five. Across a combined 94 inspections, both locations were still cited for handwashing failures and shellfish record gaps this week.
China Town at 649 NW 62 St has 33 prior inspections. Moon Thai and Japanese has 31. Dona Paulina I has 30. All three were cited for high-severity violations this week, and none of the categories, including handwashing technique, shellfish traceability, and chemical storage, are new problems for facilities with inspection records this long.
Maman, Chateau ZZ's, and DC Pie Co. are at the other end of the history spectrum. Maman has only three inspections on record and drew ten high-severity violations. Chateau ZZ's has five inspections and drew six. DC Pie Co. has 24 inspections and drew five, including the combination of no person in charge and no employee health policy, a pairing that inspectors associate with cascading compliance failures.
The Springhill Suites Miami Arts and Health District has 25 prior inspections. A hotel breakfast operation with food not cooked to required temperatures and improper sewage disposal documented in its report is a facility whose guests have no particular reason to expect they are eating in a high-risk environment.