MIAMI, FL. Inspectors shut down three Miami restaurants in seven days last week, including a Chipotle on South Dixie Highway closed for fly activity on September 29 and a Wynwood-area restaurant closed two days later for roach activity, while a poke bowl shop in the Wynwood arts district accumulated 12 high-severity violations in a single visit, the highest count of any facility inspected during the week of September 29 through October 5, 2026.
The Closures
Chipotle Mexican Grill at 6290 S Dixie Hwy was ordered closed on September 29 for fly activity. Allegro Ma Non Troppo/Socal Taco Company at 1000 S Miami Ave followed on September 30, shut down after inspectors documented roach activity on the premises. Yumwich Inc at 11400 N Kendall Drive was closed October 2 for temperature violations in food storage.
Three closures in four days, across three different neighborhoods, for three different categories of violation.
The Week's Worst Violations
Crazy Poke on NW 24th Street drew 12 high-severity citations in a single inspection, the most of any facility visited during the week. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition or adulterated, and inadequate shell stock identification records. That last violation, combined with food sourced outside approved channels, means inspectors had no way to trace where the restaurant's shellfish came from or verify it had been handled safely before arriving.
Los Roques Gourmet and Grill on NW 58th Street matched Crazy Poke with 11 high-severity violations. The citations included no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and time as a public health control not properly used. Parasite destruction failures are particularly significant at a restaurant handling fish or pork: without documented freezing protocols or verified cooking temperatures, parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork can survive to the plate.
La Munequita Restaurant on NE 2nd Avenue also reached 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Undercooked food combined with unapproved sourcing means inspectors could neither verify where the food originated nor confirm it was rendered safe through cooking.
Flora Plant Kitchen on NE 4th Court accumulated 10 high-severity violations despite being one of the newer establishments in this week's data. Citations included employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
La Brasa Kendall on SW 72nd Street drew 9 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Allergen awareness failures are among the most acutely dangerous citations an inspector can write: food allergies send 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year, and a kitchen with no demonstrated allergen protocols has no reliable way to prevent cross-contact.
Doma on NE 26th Street was cited for 9 high-severity violations including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe on NW 77th Avenue also reached 9 high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
El Porton de la Flaca on NW 107th Avenue was cited for 9 high-severity violations including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Caribe Restaurant on NW 27th Avenue drew 8 high-severity citations. Novotel Miami Brickell on SW 1st Avenue, a full-service hotel restaurant, was cited for 7 high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, food not cooked to minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory.
Cerro Negro Restaurant on West Flagler Street and Luis Galindo Latin American 2 on SW 24th Street each drew 6 and 5 high-severity violations respectively, with both cited for parasite destruction failures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Freshco Fish Market on SW 122nd Avenue was cited for 5 high-severity violations including food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and two separate toxic substance violations, one for improper storage or labeling and one for improper identification, storage, or use.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited violation across this week's inspections was improper handwashing technique, appearing at Luis Galindo Latin American 2, Crazy Poke, La Brasa Kendall, Los Roques Gourmet and Grill, La Munequita, Novotel Miami Brickell, Flora Plant Kitchen, El Porton de la Flaca, Doma, and Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe. The distinction matters: an employee who goes through the motions of washing hands but does so incorrectly still transfers pathogens. Handwashing is the single most significant factor in preventing the spread of foodborne illness, and technique failures undercut even facilities that have functioning sinks.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Crazy Poke, Los Roques Gourmet and Grill, La Munequita, Flora Plant Kitchen, and El Porton de la Flaca, carries a specific traceability risk. When someone gets sick after eating at one of these restaurants, investigators need to trace the food back through the supply chain to identify the contamination point and stop others from being exposed. Food sourced outside approved channels has no paper trail. If an outbreak occurs, the investigation starts with nothing.
Shell stock identification failures at Crazy Poke, Novotel Miami Brickell, El Porton de la Flaca, Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe, and La Perla El Rincon del Mar represent a parallel traceability problem specific to shellfish. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or barely cooked, and they filter-feed in water that can carry Vibrio, norovirus, and hepatitis A. Tags on shellfish shipments identify the harvest location and date, allowing a sick customer's meal to be traced back to a specific bed. Without those records, that tracing is impossible.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at Luis Galindo Latin American 2, Cerro Negro, La Brasa Kendall, Caribe Restaurant, Flora Plant Kitchen, El Porton de la Flaca, Freshco Fish Market, Doma, and Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe, is not a paperwork violation. Cleaning chemicals stored near or above food preparation surfaces can contaminate food directly, and unlabeled chemical containers can be mistaken for food-grade products. Acute chemical poisoning from this type of contamination produces symptoms that mimic foodborne illness, making it difficult to identify until multiple people are affected.
The Longer Record
Cerro Negro Restaurant on West Flagler Street has 38 prior inspections on record, the highest count of any facility featured this week. That volume represents years of regulatory contact, and this week's 6 high-severity violations, including parasite destruction failures and dual toxic chemical citations, show the same categories of concern that experienced inspectors flag repeatedly at facilities with long histories. El Porton de la Flaca, with 35 prior inspections, and La Perla El Rincon del Mar, also with 35, carry similarly long records. La Perla drew a shellfish traceability violation this week alongside sewage disposal and single-use item reuse citations.
Luis Galindo Latin American 2 has 33 prior inspections on record and drew 5 high-severity violations this week, including parasite destruction failures and toxic chemical storage. Tariacuri, with 32 prior inspections, was among the cleaner results of the week, drawing no high-severity violations, only 3 intermediate citations for sewage disposal, single-use item reuse, and ventilation.
The sharpest contrast in the week's data involves Flora Plant Kitchen and Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe. Flora Plant Kitchen has only 7 prior inspections on record and already accumulated 10 high-severity violations in a single visit, including food from unapproved sources and improperly stored toxic chemicals. Salty Peaches has only 2 prior inspections on record, making this week's 9 high-severity citations its earliest significant regulatory contact.
Caribe Restaurant on NW 27th Avenue has 28 prior inspections on record and drew 8 high-severity violations this week, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals. None of those categories are new to inspectors who have visited that address 28 times.
Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe, with only 2 inspections on record, was cited for inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning a catering operation that has barely begun accumulating a regulatory history is already serving shellfish without the traceability documentation that would allow investigators to identify a source if a customer becomes ill.
