NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL. State inspectors walked into Peppo at 18190 W Dixie Hwy on September 8, 2026, and found food sourced from suppliers that have not been approved or verified by state or federal regulators, a violation that inspectors classify as high severity and one that sits near the top of any list of conditions that can put customers at direct risk.
The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The September inspection produced 10 violations in total, seven of them high severity. Beyond the unapproved food sourcing, inspectors cited three distinct handwashing failures at the same visit: employees not washing their hands adequately, handwashing facilities that were themselves inadequate, and employees using improper technique when they did attempt to wash.
Three separate handwashing violations in a single inspection means the problem is not one employee on one bad day. It means the infrastructure, the training, and the practice are all failing at once.
Inspectors also cited food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, multi-use utensils that had not been properly cleaned, and a failure to properly use time as a public health control. The facility was also cited for having no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, a requirement that exists specifically to warn pregnant women, elderly diners, and anyone with a compromised immune system.
The intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The unapproved food source violation is one of the most serious a restaurant can receive, not because the food is automatically unsafe, but because there is no way to trace it if someone gets sick. Food that moves through USDA- and FDA-approved channels carries documentation at every step. Food that does not leaves investigators with nothing to work from when a customer ends up in the hospital.
The three handwashing violations compound each other in a specific way. Inadequate facilities mean proper handwashing is structurally impossible. Employees not washing their hands means the behavior is absent. Improper technique means that even the attempts being made are not eliminating pathogens. Together, they describe a kitchen where contamination can travel from any surface, any raw ingredient, or any employee directly onto the food being served to customers.
The time-as-public-health-control violation is less visible but equally serious. Some kitchens track food safety using temperature monitoring. Others use time, keeping records of exactly when food entered the danger zone between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit and pulling it before bacteria can multiply to dangerous levels. When that system is not properly followed, food can remain in the danger zone for hours with no one tracking it.
The sewage disposal violation introduces a different category of risk entirely. Improper handling of wastewater inside a food preparation environment creates a pathway for fecal contamination to reach food, surfaces, and utensils.
The Longer Record
Peppo Inspection History: Selected Visits
Peppo has been inspected 30 times on record and has accumulated 233 total violations. The facility has been emergency-closed twice, both times for roach and rodent activity, in July 2015 and again in September 2018.
The violations documented in September 2026 are not an aberration. Inspectors visited the restaurant twice on February 4, 2026, and found eight high-severity violations on the first visit and three more on the second. Three inspections across November 4 and 6, 2025, produced eight high-severity violations, four high-severity violations, and three high-severity violations, on separate visits.
Every inspection on record going back to at least August 2024 has produced high-severity violations. The September 2026 visit, with its seven high-severity citations including unapproved food sourcing and three simultaneous handwashing failures, fits a pattern that spans years, not weeks.
Peppo remained open after the September 8 inspection.
