MIAMI, FL. Inspectors cited Ol'Days at 3301 NE 1 Ave for 10 high-severity violations during the week of August 28, including failure to track shellfish identification records, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and a finding that no person in charge was present or performing duties during the inspection visit.
The Wynwood-area restaurant was not alone at the top of that list.
The Worst of the Week
Baires Grill on South Miami Avenue matched Ol'Days at 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, parasite destruction procedures that were not followed for fish, and a failure to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. Handwashing failures appeared twice in the same report: once for inadequate handwashing by employees, and again for improper hand and arm washing technique.
La Estacion Cafe at 1390 Brickell Ave drew 9 high-severity violations, the third-highest total of the week. The Brickell cafe was cited for employees not reporting symptoms of illness, food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish identification records, and improper use of time as a public health control. Toxic chemicals were also found to be improperly stored or labeled.
Sea Siam on South Dixie Highway accumulated 8 high-severity violations, including a citation for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, a finding that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and improper storage of toxic chemicals. The Thai restaurant was also cited for inadequate shellfish traceability records and for failing to post a consumer advisory.
Bagel Express at 11616 SW 88 St drew 8 high-severity violations. Among them: food found to be in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated; two separate toxic substance citations, one for improperly stored chemicals and one for toxic substances improperly identified or used; and no person in charge present or performing duties.
Italica Restaurant at 3201 NE 1 Ave was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition, and toxic substances improperly identified or used. The citation for inadequate handwashing facilities is significant: inspectors found the infrastructure itself was insufficient, not merely the technique.
Adelita's House Cafe on NW 17th Avenue drew 8 high-severity violations, including a citation for no allergen awareness demonstrated, food from an unapproved or unknown source, and improper use of time as a public health control. Toxic substances were also found to be improperly identified or used.
Angelina's Coffee and Juice at 3451 NE 1 Ave collected 8 high-severity violations, including citations for inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and two separate toxic substance violations. The coffee and juice shop also failed to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Others With Serious Findings
Cafe Honduras Maya at 2980 NW 7 St drew 7 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. The cafe's cooling equipment was also found to be inadequate, an intermediate violation, meaning food may have been entering the temperature danger zone before it reached customers.
Snappers Fish and Chicken at 18312 NW 7 Ave was cited for 7 high-severity violations, among them an employee not reporting symptoms of illness and inadequate handwashing facilities. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that introduces the risk of fecal contamination throughout a facility.
Claudie at 1101 Brickell Ave drew 7 high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition, and inadequate shellfish identification records. Food was also found to have not been cooked to the required minimum temperature.
Rinconcito de Alex El Paisa at 13037 SW 112 St drew 3 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and no employee health policy. An intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also documented.
El Rancho Grande Mexican Restaurant on N Kendall Drive drew 3 high-severity violations, all in the chemical and sourcing categories: food from an unapproved or unknown source, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified or used.
Sushi Maki at Miami International Airport Concourse D was cited for 3 high-severity violations, including food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized and toxic chemicals improperly stored. The airport location also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, a notable gap for a sushi operation.
Tropical Smoothie at 13550 SW 120 St drew 1 high-severity violation for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, along with intermediate citations for inadequate cooling equipment and ventilation.
What These Violations Mean
The most common thread across this week's inspections was the handwashing cluster: inadequate technique, inadequate facilities, and employees not washing at all. Inspectors cited handwashing failures at Ol'Days, Baires Grill, La Estacion Cafe, Sea Siam, Bagel Express, Italica Restaurant, Cafe Honduras Maya, Snappers Fish and Chicken, and Angelina's Coffee and Juice. Hands are the primary vehicle for transferring pathogens from raw food, dirty surfaces, or sick workers directly onto food that customers will eat without further cooking. When the technique is wrong, even a handwashing attempt leaves contamination behind.
The "employee not reporting symptoms of illness" citation at La Estacion Cafe, Snappers Fish and Chicken, and Claudie is the violation most directly linked to multi-victim outbreaks. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads person-to-person through food handlers who are actively sick. A sick employee who continues to work and handle food can expose dozens of customers before a single complaint is filed.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, documented at Baires Grill, La Estacion Cafe, Adelita's House Cafe, Cafe Honduras Maya, El Rancho Grande, and Claudie, means the food bypassed USDA or FDA safety inspections. If someone gets sick, there is no supply chain to trace. Shellfish traceability failures at Ol'Days, Sea Siam, La Estacion Cafe, Angelina's Coffee and Juice, and Claudie compound this: shellfish consumed raw or lightly cooked are among the highest-risk foods in any kitchen, and without identification tags, an outbreak cannot be traced to its harvest bed.
Chemical violations, documented at Rinconcito de Alex El Paisa, Sea Siam, Bagel Express, La Estacion Cafe, Angelina's Coffee and Juice, El Rancho Grande, Cafe Honduras Maya, Sushi Maki, and Snappers Fish and Chicken, represent an underappreciated acute risk. Cleaning chemicals stored near or above food, or transferred into unlabeled containers, can cause immediate poisoning. Unlike bacterial contamination, chemical poisoning has no incubation period.
The Longer Record
Snappers Fish and Chicken has the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 53 prior inspections on record. That volume of oversight has not prevented the restaurant from accumulating 7 high-severity violations in a single week, including a sewage disposal finding and an employee illness reporting failure.
Angelina's Coffee and Juice, with 34 prior inspections, and Rinconcito de Alex El Paisa, with 33, are among the most-inspected facilities in this week's group. Both were still cited for multiple high-severity violations, including chemical storage failures that appear in both records.
Ol'Days has 30 prior inspections on record, and Sea Siam has 31. Both drew 8 or more high-severity violations this week, including shellfish traceability failures and unclean food contact surfaces. El Rancho Grande also has 30 prior inspections and was still cited for sourcing food from an unapproved supplier.
At the other end of the spectrum, Claudie has only 4 prior inspections on record, and Italica Restaurant has 10. Both drew 7 or more high-severity violations, suggesting serious compliance problems at locations that are still relatively new to the inspection cycle. Cafe Honduras Maya, with just 5 inspections on record, drew 7 high-severity violations including a food sourcing citation and inadequate cooling equipment. Whether these newer locations improve or continue to accumulate citations in the inspections ahead remains an open question in the record.
