MIAMI, FL. A Japanese restaurant near Dadeland Mall drew 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, the highest count among 15 South Florida facilities cited for three or more critical violations between August 10 and August 16, 2026.
The Worst of the Week
Miyako Japanese Restaurant of Dadeland on S. Dixie Highway accumulated 12 high-severity and 6 intermediate violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food from unapproved or unknown sources, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, inadequate employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
The parasite destruction citation is particularly significant for a Japanese restaurant. Raw or lightly prepared fish served without proper freezing protocols creates a direct pathway for parasites including Anisakis to reach customers.
Three other Miami restaurants tied at 11 high-severity violations. Sabor A Peru on Biscayne Boulevard was cited for no person in charge present, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition, inadequate shell stock identification, and unclean food contact surfaces.
El Turco on NE 2nd Avenue drew citations for unapproved food sources, inadequate shell stock records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to minimum temperature, improper time as a public health control, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and unsanitized food contact surfaces.
Aoki Teppanyaki on N. Kendall Drive was flagged for no person in charge, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock identification, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required temperature.
The Broader Miami-Dade Picture
Miami-Dade accounted for 12 of the 15 facilities flagged this week. Rinconcito Miami 2 on SW 137th Avenue collected 10 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, two separate handwashing failures, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Ironside Cafe on NE 4th Court also reached 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited it for unapproved food sources, inadequate shell stock records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to minimum temperature, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
The chemical storage citation at Ironside stands out. Toxic substances stored near food create a contamination risk that has nothing to do with cooking technique or sourcing, and inspectors flagged the same problem at Ohana Sushi on NW 107th Avenue in Doral, where toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared alongside a missing consumer advisory for raw foods and unsanitized food contact surfaces.
Three Hialeah restaurants were among the week's most-cited facilities. Sushi Sake on W. 49th Street drew 10 high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, unapproved food sources, inadequate shell stock records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
El Rey de la Frita on W. 29th Street was cited for 10 high-severity violations including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, unapproved food sources, food in poor condition, inadequate shell stock records, and unsanitized food contact surfaces.
Fritanga Coquito on W. 46th Street drew one high-severity violation for unsanitized food contact surfaces, plus intermediate citations for inadequate ventilation and improper waste disposal.
CasaCuba Restaurant on SW 73rd Street in South Miami reached 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shell stock records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required temperature, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Cvi.che 105 Aventura on Biscayne Boulevard, located in a busy Aventura shopping complex, drew two high-severity violations: no person in charge and unsanitized food contact surfaces.
Broward and Palm Beach
Broward County produced two flagged facilities. Jamaica House Restaurant II on W. Broward Boulevard in Lauderhill was cited for one high-severity violation, toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, along with an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
La Pupusa Factory #2 on Miramar Parkway drew four high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures.
Palm Beach County's sole entry this week was Best Taste of Mexico on S. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, which accumulated 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited it for no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature.
What These Violations Mean
The most common pattern this week was a cluster of interconnected illness-transmission failures: no written employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and improper handwashing, all appearing together at the same facilities. Miyako, Sabor A Peru, Rinconcito Miami 2, Sushi Sake, El Rey de la Frita, CasaCuba, and Best Taste of Mexico all shared some version of this combination. When a sick employee has no policy requiring them to report symptoms, and handwashing is also inadequate, the pathway for Norovirus to reach food is essentially unobstructed. Norovirus causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, and food service workers are among its most efficient vectors.
Parasite destruction failures, cited at Miyako, El Turco, Ironside Cafe, and La Pupusa Factory #2, are a separate and acute concern. Fish served raw or lightly prepared, including sushi and ceviche, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites including Anisakis, which can embed in the stomach lining and cause severe abdominal pain. A restaurant that skips this step and serves raw fish is serving an uncontrolled biological hazard to every customer who orders it.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, found at both Ironside Cafe and Ohana Sushi, represent an entirely different category of risk. Unlike a temperature violation that develops over hours, a chemical contamination event can be immediate. Cleaning solutions stored near food prep surfaces, or unlabeled chemical containers, can poison food without any visible sign.
The shell stock traceability citations, appearing at ten of the fifteen flagged facilities this week, are a traceability problem as much as a food safety one. Shellfish carry tags identifying their harvest location and date. Without those records, if a customer falls ill after eating oysters or clams, investigators cannot trace the source, and an entire harvest area producing contaminated shellfish stays open.
The Longer Record
The data does not include prior inspection counts for these facilities, so direct comparison of inspection history is not available this week. What the record does show is the distribution of severity: twelve of the fifteen facilities drew ten or more high-severity violations, or four or more, in a single inspection week. That concentration in Miami-Dade, where twelve of the fifteen flagged locations operate, is notable.
Several of the hardest-hit facilities serve cuisines that require raw or lightly cooked fish as a core menu item: Miyako, Aoki Teppanyaki, Sushi Sake, Ohana Sushi, Ironside Cafe, and La Pupusa Factory #2 all drew violations related to raw fish handling, whether through parasite destruction failures, missing consumer advisories, or unapproved sourcing. Cvi.che 105 Aventura, a Peruvian ceviche concept in a high-traffic Aventura shopping center, drew a person-in-charge violation alongside an unsanitized food contact surfaces citation, a smaller count but at a location that draws significant tourist and weekend foot traffic.
El Rey de la Frita, a Hialeah institution known for Cuban-style fritas, was among the facilities cited for food in poor condition alongside unapproved sourcing and no employee health policy. The combination of sourcing and condition violations at the same facility means inspectors found both the origin and the state of the food to be problematic in the same visit.
