MIAMI, FL. Casa Juan on NW 7th Street had no qualified person in charge on site, no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, all documented in a single inspection the week of September 8. That visit produced 11 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate ones, placing it among the worst inspection results in Miami-Dade County that week.
Inspectors also flagged Casa Juan for inadequate shell stock identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improper handwashing technique. Eight distinct high-severity failure categories in one kitchen.
The Week's Worst Findings
Surry Hills Coffee on NE 2nd Avenue matched Casa Juan's total with 11 high-severity violations of its own. Inspectors cited the coffee shop for food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and time as a public health control not properly used, in addition to the absent employee health policy and improper handwashing technique.
Parasite destruction at a coffee shop is not a routine concern. It becomes one when a facility serves fish or shellfish items without applying required freezing protocols to kill parasites like Anisakis before the food reaches a customer.
El Turco at NE 39th Street drew 10 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also found no person in charge present, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food in poor condition.
Salumeria 104 on NE 1st Avenue was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, toxic chemicals improperly stored, inadequate shell stock identification, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Nine high-severity violations total.
Caffe Portofino on South Dixie Highway produced nine high-severity findings that included food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shell stock identification, and time as a public health control not properly used. No consumer advisory was posted.
Victory Restaurant and Lounge on NE 1st Avenue also drew nine high-severity violations. Inspectors flagged parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Eight Violations Each
Six additional facilities each recorded eight high-severity violations during the week.
Tutto Pasta on SW 3rd Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and two separate toxic substance violations: chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Managuita Restaurant on SW 211th Street drew a citation for required procedures for specialized processes not followed, a finding that applies when a restaurant engages in smoking, curing, fermenting, or reduced-oxygen packaging without the documented controls those methods require. Inspectors also found food from an unapproved source and time as a public health control not properly used.
Ambassador Cafe on Brickell Bay Drive was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food in poor condition or adulterated, and two toxic substance violations. Inadequate handwashing by food employees was also documented.
Motek Brickell on South Miami Avenue drew eight high-severity violations including food in poor condition, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Employees were cited for not reporting illness symptoms.
Primo's Restaurant and Lounge on North Bayshore Drive had no person in charge present, inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition, and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Time as a public health control was not properly used.
Mario the Baker Downtown on West Flagler Street was cited for no allergen awareness demonstrated, a violation that inspectors note is relevant to the 32 million Americans with food allergies. The bakery also had no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
North Italia at SW 88th Street drew eight high-severity violations including food from an unapproved or unknown source, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, inadequate handwashing facilities, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Los Verdes Restaurant on SW 137th Avenue rounded out the eight-violation tier with citations for no person in charge present, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and no consumer advisory posted.
What These Violations Mean
The absence of an employee health policy, documented at Casa Juan, Surry Hills Coffee, El Turco, Victory Restaurant, Tutto Pasta, Managuita, Mario the Baker, and Caffe Portofino this week, is not a paperwork problem. It is the mechanism by which a sick food worker stays on the line. Norovirus spreads through contaminated food prepared by an infected person, and a single ill employee can expose dozens of customers before any symptom is visible to a manager. When inspectors also document that employees are not reporting illness symptoms, as they did at Casa Juan, Surry Hills Coffee, Tutto Pasta, Managuita, Motek Brickell, Mario the Baker, and Los Verdes, both failures are present simultaneously.
Food cooked below required minimum temperatures, cited at Casa Juan, Salumeria 104, Victory Restaurant, Ambassador Cafe, Motek Brickell, North Italia, and Los Verdes, is the direct pathway for Salmonella survival in poultry and E. coli in ground beef. The required temperatures exist because they are the kill point. Food pulled before reaching them may look and smell fully cooked.
The shellfish traceability violation, recorded at Casa Juan, Surry Hills Coffee, Salumeria 104, Caffe Portofino, Victory Restaurant, Ambassador Cafe, Motek Brickell, Primo's, North Italia, and Los Verdes, matters most when someone gets sick. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, and they filter pathogens from the water they grow in. Without harvest tags and dealer records on file, there is no way to trace a shellfish-related illness back to its source, and no way to pull a contaminated lot from other kitchens before more people are exposed.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, found at El Turco, Salumeria 104, Caffe Portofino, Victory Restaurant, Tutto Pasta, Managuita, Ambassador Cafe, Mario the Baker, and North Italia, means cleaning agents, sanitizers, or pesticides are being kept in proximity to food or in unlabeled containers. The acute risk is accidental contamination of food or food-contact surfaces. The chronic risk is that staff cannot identify what they are handling.
The Longer Record
Victory Restaurant and Lounge has the longest inspection history among this week's flagged facilities, with 31 prior inspections on record before this visit. Nine high-severity violations at a location that has been through the inspection process more than three dozen times total is a pattern, not an anomaly.
Primo's Restaurant and Lounge and Managuita Restaurant follow close behind, with 32 and 39 prior inspections respectively. Managuita's 39 prior inspections make it the most-inspected facility in this week's group. Eight high-severity violations, including a specialized process failure and food from an unapproved source, at a location with that many prior visits on record suggests the inspection record has not produced sustained correction.
Ambassador Cafe and Casa Juan each have 25 or more prior inspections. Casa Juan's 11 high-severity violations this week, at a facility with 25 inspections behind it, place it among the more troubling outcomes in the dataset.
On the newer end, Surry Hills Coffee and Motek Brickell each have 15 prior inspections, and North Italia has 14. All three recorded eight or more high-severity violations this week. Surry Hills Coffee's 11 high-severity findings on just its 16th inspection cycle stands out: the parasite destruction failure and the adulterated food citation are not beginner mistakes.
Sabor Venezolano Kendall on SW 88th Street recorded only one high-severity violation this week, a missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, out of 24 prior inspections. It is the only facility in this week's group where the inspection produced a single critical finding. Whether that holds at the next visit is not yet in the record.
