MIAMI, FL. Crazy Poke on NW 24th Street drew 12 high-severity violations during the week of September 30, the highest single-facility count among 15 Miami restaurants cited for serious food safety failures, including inspectors finding food from unapproved or unknown sources and inadequate shellfish traceability records.
The week also produced two emergency closures. Allegro Ma Non Troppo/Socal Taco Company at 1000 S Miami Ave was shut down September 30 for roach activity. Yumwich Inc at 11400 N Kendall Drive was ordered closed October 2 after inspectors documented temperature violations in food storage.
The Violations
Crazy Poke's 12 high-severity violations included the person in charge not present or not performing duties, employees failing to report illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing by food employees, missing handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, and inadequate shellfish identification records. That is nearly every category of front-line food safety failure documented in a single inspection.
Los Roques Gourmet and Grill on NW 58th Street was cited for 11 high-severity violations, among them parasite destruction procedures not followed and improper use of time as a public health control. Both violations point to fish or meat served without adequate cooking or freezing protocols in place.
La Munequita Restaurant on NE 2nd Avenue also drew 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited food not cooked to required minimum temperature, food from unapproved sources, no employee health policy, and the person in charge absent or not performing duties.
Ferraro's Kitchen on NE 79th Street matched that count with 11 high-severity violations of its own, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no handwashing facilities present. Ferraro's also had no employee health policy on record.
Mr Cachapa on NW 2nd Avenue drew 11 high-severity violations including food from unapproved or unknown sources, no employee health policy, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also cited inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique at the same location.
Flora Plant Kitchen on NE 4th Court accumulated 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled alongside food, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, food from unapproved sources, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Caribe Restaurant on NW 27th Avenue drew 8 high-severity violations and notably had zero intermediate violations, meaning every citation inspectors issued landed at the most serious level. Those included toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and time as a public health control not properly used.
Chicken House No. 4 on NW 20th Street was cited for 9 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Rishtedar on NW 24th Street, just blocks from Crazy Poke, drew 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors found the person in charge absent, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, no handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Doma on NE 26th Street was cited for 9 high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
El Porton de la Flaca on NW 107th Avenue drew 9 high-severity violations, among them inadequate shellfish identification records, food from unapproved sources, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw foods.
La Brasa Kendall on SW 72nd Street was cited for 9 high-severity violations including no allergen awareness demonstrated, toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and time as a public health control not properly used.
Three facilities drew lower violation counts but still produced serious findings. La Perla El Rincon del Mar on SW 152nd Street had one high-severity violation, inadequate shellfish identification records, alongside three intermediate violations including improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Mi Tierra Bar and Kitchen on SW 56th Street drew three high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe on NW 77th Avenue was cited for three high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored and no consumer advisory for raw foods.
What These Violations Mean
The single most common high-severity violation across this week's inspections was improper handwashing, appearing in some form at Crazy Poke, Los Roques, Ferraro's Kitchen, Mr Cachapa, Caribe Restaurant, Chicken House No. 4, and Rishtedar. Handwashing is the primary barrier between a food worker's pathogens and a customer's plate. When the facility lacks a functional handwashing station, when employees skip washing entirely, or when technique is inadequate, that barrier disappears. Norovirus, which causes more foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States than any other pathogen, spreads almost exclusively through this route.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Crazy Poke, Los Roques, La Munequita, Mr Cachapa, Flora Plant Kitchen, El Porton de la Flaca, and Rishtedar, carries a specific danger that goes beyond the food itself. When a restaurant sources ingredients outside the regulated supply chain, there is no traceability. If a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot trace the food back to a farm, a distributor, or a lot number. The outbreak investigation stops before it starts.
Parasite destruction procedures not followed, cited at both Los Roques and Ferraro's Kitchen, addresses a specific and underappreciated risk. Fish species served raw or lightly cooked, including salmon and tuna, must be frozen at specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites such as Anisakis. When those procedures are skipped, a customer eating a poke bowl or a lightly seared fish dish is eating fish that has not been rendered safe.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared at Caribe Restaurant, Flora Plant Kitchen, La Brasa Kendall, El Porton de la Flaca, Doma, Mi Tierra, and Salty Peaches. This is a violation that produces acute harm with no warning. A cleaning chemical stored above a food prep surface, or a bottle without a label, can contaminate food in a single spill. Unlike a temperature violation that requires bacterial growth over hours, chemical contamination can cause poisoning immediately.
The Longer Record
El Porton de la Flaca and La Perla El Rincon del Mar each have 35 prior inspections on record, the longest histories among facilities cited this week. El Porton's 9 high-severity violations in a 35-inspection history suggests a facility that has been through the inspection cycle many times without resolving fundamental issues around food sourcing, shellfish records, and chemical storage. La Perla's shellfish traceability violation and improper sewage disposal on inspection 35 tell a similar story.
Los Roques has 30 prior inspections. Mi Tierra Bar and Kitchen and Chicken House No. 4 each have 33 and 30 inspections respectively. Chicken House No. 4 drawing a food-not-cooked-to-temperature violation at inspection 33 is a finding worth noting. Undercooking poultry is among the most direct paths to Salmonella illness, and it is not a new or obscure requirement.
Flora Plant Kitchen has only 7 prior inspections, making it one of the newest facilities on this list. Ten high-severity violations at that stage of an inspection history, including food from unapproved sources and improperly stored chemicals, is an unusual accumulation for a young operation.
Salty Peaches Catering and Cafe has just 3 prior inspections on record. Toxic chemicals improperly stored and no consumer advisory for raw foods in only its third inspection cycle put it in early violation territory that mirrors what inspectors found at Flora Plant Kitchen.
La Perla El Rincon del Mar's improper sewage or wastewater disposal citation, documented on its 35th inspection, remains unresolved in this week's record.
