MIAMI BEACH, FL. State inspectors visiting Nobu Miami Beach on Collins Avenue on April 24 found food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, toxic substances improperly stored, and no person in charge present or performing duties, all in a single inspection that produced six high-severity violations.
The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooking violation is the most direct threat to anyone who ate at Nobu that day. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and other pathogens in meat and seafood require specific internal temperatures to be destroyed. A guest ordering a chicken dish or a cooked seafood preparation had no way of knowing whether the food on the plate had reached a safe temperature.
The toxic substances violation compounds that picture. Chemicals stored or used improperly near food preparation areas create a risk of contamination that is immediate and chemical, not bacterial.
Inspectors also cited the restaurant for inadequate shell stock identification and records. Nobu Miami Beach serves oysters and other shellfish, and without proper tagging and sourcing records, there is no way to trace a shellfish product back to its harvest location if a customer becomes ill.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Employees were observed using improper handwashing technique. And no person in charge was present or actively performing supervisory duties during the inspection.
What These Violations Mean
The absence of a person in charge is not a paperwork problem. CDC data cited in the inspection record shows establishments without active managerial control have three times as many critical violations as those with engaged supervision. Every other violation found at Nobu on April 24 is consistent with what happens when oversight is absent: improper handwashing goes uncorrected, cooking temperatures go unverified, chemical storage goes unchecked.
Improper handwashing technique is a specific and underappreciated risk. An employee who goes through the motion of washing hands without using the correct method leaves pathogens on their hands. The attempt at compliance becomes the mechanism of transmission.
The shellfish traceability violation carries its own distinct danger. Oysters, clams, and mussels are often consumed raw or barely cooked. Without harvest location records tied to each batch, a contaminated shellfish product cannot be identified or recalled if illnesses begin appearing. A restaurant of Nobu's profile serving raw bar items without adequate documentation removes the only safety net available after a guest has already eaten.
Reusing single-use items, the first of the two intermediate violations, introduces contamination through a different route. Items designed for one use accumulate bacteria on their surfaces in ways that standard cleaning does not fully address.
The Longer Record
The April 24 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Nobu Miami Beach has been inspected 24 times and has accumulated 188 total violations across its inspection history, with zero emergency closures.
The prior 12 months alone tell a consistent story. In October 2025, inspectors documented nine high-severity violations and one intermediate in a single visit. In March 2025, the count was five high-severity and one intermediate. In April 2024, it was eight high-severity and four intermediate. The pattern across those inspections is not a facility that had a bad week. It is a facility that has been cited for serious violations repeatedly, across multiple inspection cycles, without a closure.
The most recent inspection before April 24 was in November 2025, when inspectors found two high-severity violations and one intermediate. That visit followed the October 2025 inspection with nine high-severity citations by less than two weeks, suggesting a follow-up that found partial but incomplete correction.
No inspection in the eight most recent visits on record produced a clean result. Every one of them included at least one high-severity violation.
Open for Business
A dinner at Nobu Miami Beach on Collins Avenue costs well into the hundreds of dollars for two people. The restaurant operates inside one of the highest-profile hotel properties on Miami Beach and draws a clientele that expects a premium experience by every measure.
State inspectors found six high-severity violations on April 24, 2026, including food cooked below required temperatures, toxic substances improperly handled, and no manager on duty to correct any of it.
The restaurant remained open.