MIAMI, FL. KYU on NW 25th Street, one of Miami's most praised wood-fired restaurants, drew 11 high-severity violations during a state inspection the week of April 27, including citations for food sourced from unapproved suppliers, parasite destruction procedures not followed for fish, and employees failing to report illness symptoms to management.
That finding sits at the top of a week in which 15 Miami-Dade restaurants accumulated high-severity violations and three were ordered closed by state inspectors.
The Closures
On April 28, inspectors ordered Mr and Mrs Bun on SW 72nd Street shut down for roach activity. The same day, Iron Sushi at 9030 SW 72nd Place was closed for fly activity. Los Catrachos at 755 W Flagler Street followed on April 29, also for flies.
Mr and Mrs Bun was already carrying 6 high-severity violations of its own that week, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no employee health policy, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
The Worst Violations This Week
La Bodega Restaurant on SW 88th Street matched KYU's total with 11 high-severity violations, the most of any non-closed facility on the list. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, and inadequate shell stock identification records. That last citation means the restaurant could not demonstrate where its shellfish came from, a critical gap if a customer became ill.
KYU's citations compound in a specific way. The restaurant was flagged for food from unapproved sources and for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, two violations that intersect directly when a restaurant serves raw or lightly cooked fish. Without verified sourcing and proper freezing protocols, parasites including Anisakis survive in the fish reaching the plate.
Taco Rico at 426 SW 8th Street drew 10 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and time used as a public health control but not properly applied. The restaurant also had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
GO-GO on Alton Road also reached 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing by food employees, food from unapproved sources, and no shellfish traceability records. GO-GO also had food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and time as a public health control not properly used.
Kami-Koi Sushi Fusion on SW 56th Street drew 9 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. The sushi restaurant also had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a particularly direct concern given its menu.
Paseo Catracho on SW 8th Street was cited for 9 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, no shellfish identification records, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
El Rio Lindo Cafe Corp on SW 12th Avenue drew 9 high-severity violations, with three separate handwashing failures documented: inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper hand and arm washing technique. All three were cited in the same inspection visit.
Rey's Pizza #6 on SW 137th Avenue accumulated 8 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and two separate chemical storage violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored and toxic substances improperly identified or used.
Canton Lee on SW 56th Street was cited for 8 high-severity violations including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and time as a public health control not properly used.
94th Aero Squadron on NW 57th Avenue drew 7 high-severity violations, among them food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal cited at the intermediate level.
Il Bambino Italian Kitchen on SW 40th Street was cited for 7 high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, and no consumer advisory. The Italian restaurant's parasite destruction citation is notable: the violation typically applies to fish served raw or undercooked, including preparations like crudo.
China Buffet on SW 67th Avenue drew 7 high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness, no shellfish traceability records, no consumer advisory, and two chemical storage violations.
The Chinese Restaurant on SW 112th Street had 3 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate citations. Inspectors flagged improper sewage disposal, single-use items being reused, and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Cafe Bea on SW 142nd Avenue drew 4 high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly stored and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
What These Violations Mean
The handwashing failures documented this week are not procedural technicalities. At El Rio Lindo Cafe Corp, inspectors cited three distinct breakdowns in the same visit: employees not washing hands adequately, facilities that make proper handwashing impossible, and technique failures that leave pathogens on hands even when a wash is attempted. Any one of those conditions is a direct pathway for Norovirus and Salmonella to move from a food worker's hands to a customer's plate.
The food sourcing violations at La Bodega, KYU, GO-GO, Paseo Catracho, El Rio Lindo, Rey's Pizza, and the 94th Aero Squadron carry a specific consequence that temperature violations do not: traceability. When food comes from an unapproved or unknown supplier, investigators have no chain of records to follow if customers fall ill. The source cannot be identified, recalled, or shut down.
Parasite destruction failures at KYU, Taco Rico, and Il Bambino represent a different but equally concrete risk. Fish must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before it is served raw or undercooked. Without that step, parasites including Anisakis, which burrows into the intestinal wall, survive to the plate. The violation is not about food quality; it is about a protocol that exists because the harm is well-documented.
The shell stock identification failures cited at La Bodega, Taco Rico, GO-GO, Paseo Catracho, El Rio Lindo, and China Buffet mean that if a customer develops hepatitis A or Vibrio infection after eating shellfish at any of those restaurants, inspectors cannot trace which harvest site the shellfish came from. That record is the only tool available to prevent further illness.
The Longer Record
La Bodega Restaurant has 49 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility in this week's data. Eleven high-severity violations on inspection number 50 or beyond is not a new operation finding its footing; it is a facility that has been inspected more than four dozen times and is still drawing citations for absent management, no employee health policy, and unverifiable food sourcing.
The Chinese Restaurant on SW 112th Street has 33 prior inspections, and Mr and Mrs Bun has 37. Both carry substantial inspection histories and both drew violations this week, with Mr and Mrs Bun serious enough to require an emergency closure.
China Buffet and Paseo Catracho each have 30 prior inspections. GO-GO has 28, Kami-Koi Sushi Fusion has 27, and Paseo Catracho's shellfish traceability and unapproved sourcing violations appear across a record that stretches back decades in cumulative visits.
KYU, by contrast, has 24 prior inspections, and Taco Rico has 25. Neither is a new operation, but both drew some of the week's highest violation counts. KYU's combination of unapproved sourcing and parasite destruction failures had not, based on the inspection count, resulted in prior closure.
Canton Lee has only 20 prior inspections, the fewest among the double-digit high-severity violators this week. Eight high-severity citations in a relatively shorter inspection history suggests the problems are not a recent reversal of a clean record.
The 94th Aero Squadron, a longtime Miami landmark near the airport with 29 inspections on record, was cited this week for food from unapproved sources and improper sewage disposal. Whether the sewage violation has been corrected had not been confirmed in the state's public records as of this publication.