MIAMI, FL. Inspectors visiting Pho 79 Noodle and Grill at 1415 SW 107 Ave on October 5, 2026 found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near the food operation, one of six high-severity violations documented during the visit. The restaurant was not closed.
The October inspection also turned up food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items. Inspectors further cited inadequate shell stock identification and records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish or other applicable proteins.
That is six high-priority violations in a single visit. The facility remained open after the inspection.
What Inspectors Found
The chemical storage violation is among the most immediately dangerous a food service inspector can document. Cleaning agents, sanitizers, and other toxic compounds stored near or above food preparation areas can contaminate food directly, whether through a spill, a mislabeled container used by an employee, or residue left on a surface. The consequences can be acute: chemical poisoning does not require repeated exposure.
The cooking temperature violation compounds the risk. Undercooking is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the United States. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A bowl of pho built on improperly cooked protein is not a safe bowl of pho.
The parasite destruction citation adds another layer. Fish served in a Vietnamese noodle restaurant, including species common in pho and other dishes, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm. When that process is skipped or improperly documented, the parasites can survive into the finished dish.
The shell stock citation means that shellfish on the premises, which can include oysters, clams, or mussels consumed raw or lightly cooked, could not be traced to their source. If a customer became ill, investigators would have no chain of custody to follow.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of violations documented at Pho 79 on October 5 is not a collection of paperwork problems. Each one represents a direct pathway from the kitchen to a sick customer.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that were not adequately sanitized, are a primary vehicle for bacterial transfer. A surface that touched raw poultry and was not properly cleaned before contact with ready-to-eat food can move Salmonella or Campylobacter directly onto a finished plate.
The sewage violation carries its own category of risk. Improper wastewater disposal creates the possibility of fecal contamination spreading through the facility. Raw sewage contains pathogens including E. coli, norovirus, and hepatitis A. A restaurant with a sewage handling problem and a cooking temperature problem at the same time is a facility with compounding exposure vectors.
The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items is not a technicality. Elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system face sharply elevated risk from undercooked protein. The advisory is the mechanism that gives those customers the information they need to make a different choice. Without it, they cannot.
The Longer Record
The October 2026 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show 24 total inspections on file for Pho 79 Noodle and Grill, with 253 total violations accumulated across that history. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern in the prior inspection data is consistent and long-running. In February 2026, inspectors cited 8 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations. In July 2025, 5 high and 3 intermediate. In February 2025, 4 high and 2 intermediate. In August 2024, 6 high and 2 intermediate.
Going further back, April 2024 produced 7 high and 5 intermediate violations. February 2024 produced 7 high and 1 intermediate. June 2023 produced 6 high and 1 intermediate. The single worst visit on record came in July 2022, when inspectors documented 12 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones in a single inspection.
Every inspection in the available record shows high-severity violations. Not most inspections. Every one.
The Pattern
A facility that accumulates 253 violations across 24 inspections, with high-severity citations at every documented visit, is not a restaurant experiencing an isolated rough stretch. The categories repeat: food temperatures, food contact surfaces, documentation failures, chemical handling. The same problems, visit after visit, year after year.
The July 2022 inspection alone produced 12 high-severity violations. The restaurant was not closed then either.
On October 5, 2026, a state inspector walked into Pho 79 Noodle and Grill, documented toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, food cooked below required temperatures, no process in place to kill parasites in fish, and six total high-severity violations. Three intermediate violations accompanied them, including one for improper sewage disposal.
The restaurant stayed open.
