MIAMI, FL. Inspectors visiting Pasiones Argentinas on SW 137th Avenue on August 19, 2026 found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, meaning the restaurant was serving customers ingredients that had bypassed federal safety inspections entirely.
That was one of eight high-severity violations documented in a single visit. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The unapproved food sourcing violation is among the most serious an inspector can document. When food arrives outside the USDA and FDA inspection chain, there is no paper trail if a customer gets sick. Investigators cannot trace the product back to a farm, a processor, or a distributor.
Tied directly to that finding is the inadequate shell stock identification violation. Shellfish, including oysters, clams, and mussels, are frequently consumed raw or only lightly cooked at Argentine restaurants. Without proper harvest tags and records, there is no way to identify the source if a customer develops a foodborne illness.
The parasite destruction violation adds another layer. Fish, pork, and wild game served undercooked or raw must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific periods to kill parasites including Anisakis and Trichinella. The inspector found those procedures were not being followed.
The restaurant also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. That notice is the last line of defense for elderly customers, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system who might otherwise not know they are taking on added risk.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled. The inspector also cited food contact surfaces, such as cutting boards and prep tables, as not properly cleaned or sanitized, a condition that creates a direct transfer route for bacteria between ingredients and plates.
The remaining two high-severity violations centered on employee behavior. The restaurant had no written employee health policy, meaning no formal mechanism exists to keep sick workers out of the kitchen. Inspectors also found that employees were using improper handwashing technique, leaving pathogens on hands even when a wash was attempted.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of unapproved food sourcing and inadequate shellfish records is particularly consequential. If a customer who ate at Pasiones Argentinas develops a Listeria or Salmonella infection, or contracts a parasitic illness, health investigators need records to trace the outbreak back to its origin. Without approved sourcing documentation and shellfish harvest tags, that investigation hits a wall immediately.
The parasite destruction failure compounds the shellfish traceability problem. Argentine cuisine frequently features raw or lightly prepared fish and shellfish. Without verified freezing protocols, parasites including tapeworm larvae can survive into the finished dish.
The employee health policy and handwashing violations are not paperwork problems. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million infections in the United States annually, spreads directly from an infected food worker's hands to a customer's plate. An improper handwashing technique, even one that looks like a wash, does not break that chain.
Improperly stored or mislabeled toxic chemicals near food preparation areas represent a separate and acute risk. Chemical contamination of food does not always produce obvious signs in taste or appearance before it causes harm.
The Longer Record
The August 2026 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Pasiones Argentinas has been inspected 24 times and has accumulated 225 total violations across its history.
The most recent prior inspection, in March 2026, produced four high-severity and four intermediate violations. The inspection before that, in August 2025, was the worst on record for the facility, with 11 high-severity violations and one intermediate in a single visit.
Going back further, the pattern holds. December 2024 produced six high-severity violations and two intermediate. May 2024 produced nine high and four intermediate. The only inspection in the available record that resulted in zero violations was November 2023.
The restaurant has never been emergency-closed, despite accumulating violations in categories including food sourcing, shellfish traceability, and food contact surface sanitation across multiple inspection cycles. The August 19, 2026 visit, which produced eight high-severity violations, ended the same way every prior visit has. Pasiones Argentinas remained open for business.
