MIAMI, FL. Moshi Moshi Brickell at 1700 SW 3 Ave drew 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of May 4, the highest count among the 15 Miami restaurants cited for serious food safety failures, with inspectors documenting that the restaurant was sourcing food from unapproved or unknown suppliers and had not followed required parasite destruction procedures for fish served raw or lightly cooked.
Those two violations, stacked together at a sushi concept, represent a compounding risk. Fish from an unverified source has no documentation trail. If that fish also skips the required freeze cycle that kills parasites like Anisakis, a customer eating a plate of sashimi has no protection on either end of the supply chain.
The Week's Worst Findings
Moshi Moshi also had no written employee health policy and documented failures to report illness symptoms, meaning inspectors found three separate breakdowns in the chain that separates a sick worker from a customer's plate. The restaurant has 13 prior inspections on record.
Bonding at 638 S Miami Ave recorded 10 high-severity violations, the second-highest count of the week. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and food in poor condition. They also found that time was not being properly used as a public health control, a violation that means food was sitting in the temperature danger zone without any documented tracking of how long it had been there.
El Cantones Rest at 11865 SW 26 St drew 9 high-severity violations. The inspector found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food in poor condition. The facility also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items, and food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned.
Bahamas Fish Market and Restaurant #2 at 13399 SW 42 St also reached 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors noted toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled alongside food safety failures, including food in poor condition and no employee health policy. A facility that handles raw fish and also stores chemicals without proper labeling creates two distinct contamination risks in the same kitchen.
Mojitos Cuban Cuisine at 8000 SW 8th St was cited for 9 high-severity violations including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food from unapproved sources. Inspectors also found the restaurant lacked adequate shellfish identification records, a serious gap for any establishment serving oysters, clams, or mussels.
KPOT Korean BBQ and Hot Pot at 8255 W Flagler St matched that count with 9 high-severity violations of its own, including food from unapproved sources, no shellfish traceability records, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. KPOT is a national chain location, and this inspection was only its second on record in Miami.
More Facilities, More Failures
New Canton at 1825 SW 8 St drew 8 high-severity violations, among them food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Inspectors also found food in poor condition and no consumer advisory for raw items.
Islas Canarias Rest at 13695 SW 26 St recorded 8 high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory. The restaurant also lacked adequate handwashing facilities and had no written employee health policy.
Mario the Baker Downtown Inc at 43 W Flagler St was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. That last violation, at a bakery where wheat, eggs, and dairy are in constant use, is a direct risk for customers with serious food allergies.
Guarapo Juice Bar and Cafe at 553 NE 81 St had 7 high-severity violations and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Inspectors also found no person in charge, no employee health policy, and food from unapproved sources. Sewage violations in a juice bar, where produce is handled raw and blended without cooking, are especially acute.
Smoothie Spot Doral West at 1850 NW 117 Place drew 7 high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and time not properly used as a public health control. The facility also had no employee health policy and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned.
Yume Ramen at 9019 SW 107 Ave was cited for 7 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, and no allergen awareness. Inspectors also found multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Don Domingo Cafe Parrillada Argentina at 10817 SW 40 St recorded 7 high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no allergen awareness. The Argentine grill also had employees not reporting illness symptoms and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Me Kong Chinese Restaurant at 18073 S Dixie Hwy drew 6 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and improper sewage disposal. Inspectors also noted single-use items being reused.
Kitchen Bistro at 3401 NW 25 St had the lowest count of the week, a single high-severity violation for food not cooked to required minimum temperature.
What These Violations Mean
The most consequential cluster this week involves food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Moshi Moshi Brickell, Bonding, Mojitos Cuban Cuisine, KPOT Korean BBQ, New Canton, Guarapo Juice Bar, Yume Ramen, Mario the Baker, and Me Kong Chinese Restaurant. When a restaurant cannot document where its food came from, there is no way to trace an illness back to a supplier, no way to pull product from a contaminated lot, and no way to warn other customers who ate the same batch. That traceability gap is not a paperwork problem. It is the reason multi-victim outbreaks go unsolved for weeks.
The parasite destruction failures at Moshi Moshi Brickell, Islas Canarias Rest, and Don Domingo Cafe are a specific and underappreciated risk. Fish served raw or lightly cooked, whether sashimi at a Japanese restaurant or ceviche at a Latin grill, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before service to kill parasites including Anisakis, which causes severe abdominal pain and can require surgical removal. When that step is skipped, and the fish also comes from an unverified source, as at Moshi Moshi, there is no safety net.
Employee illness reporting failures at Moshi Moshi, Mojitos, KPOT, Mario the Baker, Guarapo, and Don Domingo represent the most direct transmission route from a sick worker to a customer. Norovirus can be shed in quantities sufficient to cause illness before a worker feels sick enough to stay home. Without a written policy requiring workers to report symptoms, and without a manager enforcing it, the kitchen has no mechanism to intervene.
The allergen violations at Mario the Baker, Yume Ramen, and Don Domingo Cafe deserve attention on their own. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year. A bakery, a ramen shop, and a grill all handle common allergens at high volume. When staff cannot demonstrate awareness of those allergens, a customer who asks about ingredients is getting an answer from someone who may not know.
The Longer Record
Me Kong Chinese Restaurant carries 32 prior inspections on record, the longest history among facilities cited this week, and still drew 6 high-severity violations including unapproved food sources and improper chemical storage. Thirty-two inspections without resolving those categories is a pattern, not an oversight.
El Cantones Rest and Bonding each have 29 prior inspections on record. Both were cited this week for food from unapproved sources and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Bonding also had shellfish traceability failures and undercooked food. At 29 inspections, these are not new restaurants still learning the code.
Guarapo Juice Bar has 26 prior inspections and still drew a sewage disposal violation alongside food sourcing and management failures. Mario the Baker Downtown has 25 prior inspections and was cited for food from unapproved sources and no allergen awareness at a bakery. Islas Canarias Rest has 21 prior inspections and still lacks consumer advisories for raw items and parasite controls.
KPOT Korean BBQ is the sharpest contrast. This was only its second inspection on record in Miami, and it already accumulated 9 high-severity violations, including unapproved food sources, no shellfish records, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Whether the second inspection shows improvement or more of the same is the question that record cannot yet answer.