MIAMI, FL. La Hormiga de Oro III on SW 147th Avenue drew 11 high-severity violations during the week of October 13, 2026, including citations for food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, and food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, all at a facility that has now accumulated 41 inspections on record.
The restaurant was not alone. Fourteen other Miami-area facilities logged high-severity violations in the same seven-day stretch, according to state inspection records.
The Top Offenders
Habana 1900 on Coral Way matched La Hormiga de Oro III violation-for-violation, also drawing 11 high-severity citations. Inspectors documented inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, and a citation for time as a public health control not properly used, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without a compliant time-tracking system in place.
Xixon Spanish Restaurant on SW 22nd Street followed with nine high-severity violations. The list included food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a citation that matters acutely at a restaurant serving dishes where shellfish traceability was already flagged as a separate problem.
Japanese Sokai Peruvian Sushi Bar on West Flagler Street logged eight high-severity violations, among them food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, and two separate chemical storage citations: toxic chemicals improperly stored and toxic substances improperly identified. A sushi bar with unverified shellfish sourcing and improperly stored chemicals in the same inspection report is a combination that covers two distinct routes to customer harm.
Kampai Japanese Restaurant on SW 72nd Street also drew eight high-severity violations, including no person in charge present, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, unapproved food sources, inadequate shell stock records, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Like Xixon, Kampai serves raw seafood and was cited simultaneously for shellfish traceability failures and missing consumer advisories for raw or undercooked items.
Coffee Break House on Biscayne Boulevard drew eight high-severity violations despite having only seven prior inspections on record, among the shortest histories in this week's group. Inspectors found no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to minimum temperature, time-as-public-health-control violations, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
El Rinconcito Latino Cafeteria on SW 142nd Avenue drew eight high-severity violations including a citation for food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, a violation distinct from the chemical storage citations seen elsewhere and indicating actual contamination documented in the food itself. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and two separate toxic substance citations.
Dr Limon Ceviche Bar on SW 84th Street collected eight high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, food not cooked to required temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. A ceviche bar with an undercooked food citation and missing consumer advisories for raw items covers two of the most direct illness pathways in a raw-seafood-focused kitchen.
La Brasa Grill on SW 87th Avenue and Wajiro's Restaurant on SW 8th Street each drew eight high-severity violations. La Brasa's list included no person in charge, food from unapproved sources, time-as-public-health-control failures, and toxic substances improperly identified. Wajiro's was cited for no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, unapproved food sources, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Pita Grill and Market on 88th Street drew seven high-severity violations, including a citation for parasite destruction procedures not followed, the only such citation in this week's group. Without proper freezing or cooking protocols, parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork can survive to the plate.
Hi Pot on SW 107th Avenue drew four high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Hampton Inn Dadeland on SW 70th Avenue drew two high-severity violations, both for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and a missing consumer advisory. Macitas Restaurant on SW 104th Street drew one high-severity violation for no employee health policy. Sky Coffee Buenos Aires Inc on SW 2nd Avenue drew one high-severity violation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, alongside an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity citation this week was for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, appearing at eleven of the fifteen facilities. Cutting boards, prep tables, slicers, and similar surfaces that touch food directly are a primary vehicle for bacterial transfer. A surface that handled raw chicken and is not properly sanitized before being used for ready-to-eat food moves pathogens directly onto the next dish without any kill step.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at La Hormiga de Oro III, Habana 1900, Xixon, Japanese Sokai, Kampai, Coffee Break House, La Brasa Grill, Wajiro's, and Pita Grill, is a traceability problem as much as a safety problem. When a foodborne illness outbreak is traced to a restaurant, investigators rely on supplier records to identify the contaminated batch and pull it from other locations. Food with no verified source breaks that chain entirely.
The cluster of employee illness violations, cited at La Hormiga de Oro III, Habana 1900, Hi Pot, Japanese Sokai, Coffee Break House, Kampai, El Rinconcito, Dr Limon, La Brasa, and Wajiro's, is a direct transmission pathway. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through a single infected worker handling ready-to-eat food. A written health policy and a requirement to report symptoms are the first line of defense. Neither was in place at multiple facilities this week.
The shellfish traceability citations at La Hormiga de Oro III, Xixon, Japanese Sokai, Kampai, El Rinconcito, and Pita Grill carry a specific risk. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, and they filter large volumes of water, concentrating whatever pathogens are present. The shell stock tag system exists so that if customers get sick, the harvest location and date can be identified and that harvest lot pulled from circulation. Without those records, a Vibrio or norovirus outbreak becomes much harder to contain.
The Longer Record
La Hormiga de Oro III's 41 prior inspections make it the most-inspected facility in this week's group, and among the most troubling. Forty-one visits is not a new restaurant finding its footing. It is a long operational history during which this week's violations, including unapproved food sources and food not cooked to minimum temperature, represent a pattern inspectors have had many opportunities to observe.
Macitas Restaurant has 40 prior inspections on record, the second-highest count this week, and drew a high-severity citation for no employee health policy. Habana 1900 has 38 prior inspections and drew 11 high-severity violations this week, the same count as La Hormiga de Oro III. Xixon Spanish Restaurant, with 37 prior inspections, and Kampai Japanese Restaurant, with 35, both drew eight or more high-severity violations despite histories that stretch back across dozens of inspector visits.
Coffee Break House stands out in the opposite direction. With only seven prior inspections on record, it is one of the newest facilities in this week's group, yet it drew eight high-severity violations including unapproved food sources, no employee health policy, and food not cooked to minimum temperature. Pita Grill and Market, with 25 prior inspections, drew the week's only citation for parasite destruction procedures not followed.
Sky Coffee Buenos Aires Inc has only three prior inspections on record, making this week's intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal an early warning in what is still a short inspection history. Whether that citation recurs will tell a different story than it does today.
