MIAMI, FL. State inspectors cited fifteen restaurants across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties for a combined 109 high-severity violations during the week of August 14, 2026, with a Biscayne Boulevard hotel restaurant leading the region at 12 critical citations in a single inspection.
The Worst of the Week
The AC Hotel Miami Midtown on Biscayne Boulevard drew the week's highest citation count: 12 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones. Inspectors documented food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, inadequate shellfish identification records, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Two foundational failures compounded those findings: no person in charge was present or performing duties, and no adequate employee health policy was in place.
El Turco on NE 2nd Avenue in Miami followed with 11 high-severity violations, including failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, a citation that applies directly to raw or undercooked fish. Inspectors also found inadequate shellfish records and food from unapproved sources. The restaurant was additionally cited for failing to use time as a public health control properly, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without the documented tracking that substitutes for refrigeration.
El Berrinche on SW 42nd Street in Miami matched El Turco's 11 high-severity count. Among the citations: an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish identification records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures. Inspectors also found inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique.
Akashi Japanese Restaurant on South Dixie Highway in South Miami drew 11 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate ones, the highest intermediate count of any facility this week. Both the absence of a person in charge and an employee not reporting illness symptoms were cited, alongside food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and improperly sanitized food contact surfaces.
Across the Counties
In Hialeah, El Rey de la Frita on W 29th Street accumulated 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish records, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. An employee was cited for not reporting illness symptoms, and no employee health policy was in place.
Mochima Bistro on SW 184th Street in Miami also reached 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food from unapproved sources, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper use of time as a public health control. Shellfish identification records were also inadequate.
In Broward County, Cilantro Asian Bistro on W SR 84 in Davie drew 10 high-severity violations. The restaurant was cited for an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper handwashing technique, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, inadequate shellfish records, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
South China Restaurant on Flamingo Road in Cooper City, also in Broward, matched that total with 10 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate ones. Inspectors documented food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms.
Ashoka Indian Restaurant on South Dixie Highway in Pinecrest drew 8 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, required procedures for specialized processes not followed, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Michael's Genuine Food and Drink on NE 40th Street in Miami, one of the region's more prominent dining names, was cited for 4 high-severity violations: no person in charge, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
In Palm Beach County, Schooner's Market on North Highway A1A in Jupiter drew 3 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Saiko-I Sushi Lounge and Hibachi on SW 18th Street in Boca Raton was cited for a person-in-charge absence. El Rinconcito Colombiano No. 2 on Southern Boulevard in Royal Palm Beach drew a single high-severity citation for improperly sanitized food contact surfaces.
Ohana Sushi on NW 107th Avenue in Doral drew 3 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. New Dragon Restaurant on W 16th Avenue in Hialeah drew 2 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread high-severity violation this week was the absence of an employee health policy, cited at AC Hotel Miami Midtown, El Turco, El Berrinche, Akashi Japanese Restaurant, El Rey de la Frita, Mochima Bistro, South China Restaurant, Ashoka Indian Restaurant, and New Dragon Restaurant. Without a written policy requiring employees to report symptoms and stay home when sick, a single contagious worker can expose every customer served that shift. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through food handled by symptomatic employees and can sicken dozens from a single service period.
The parasite destruction citation, logged at El Turco, El Berrinche, Akashi Japanese Restaurant, Cilantro Asian Bistro, and South China Restaurant, carries specific weight for sushi and raw fish menus. Parasites including Anisakis worms and tapeworm larvae survive in raw or undercooked fish unless the fish has been frozen to specific temperatures for a required duration. Restaurants that skip or document this process improperly cannot confirm the fish on the plate is parasite-free.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at AC Hotel Miami Midtown, El Turco, El Berrinche, Akashi Japanese Restaurant, El Rey de la Frita, Mochima Bistro, South China Restaurant, and Ashoka Indian Restaurant, removes the traceability chain that allows health officials to identify contaminated product and pull it before more people get sick. When a food item from an uninspected supplier causes an illness, there is no supplier record to follow.
The allergen citation at Michael's Genuine Food and Drink is notable because allergen failures are acute and fast-moving. Food allergies affect tens of millions of Americans, and a single cross-contact event can trigger anaphylaxis. A restaurant where staff cannot demonstrate allergen awareness has no reliable way to prevent an allergic customer from receiving a dish that could send them to an emergency room.
The Longer Record
The data does not include prior inspection counts for the facilities listed this week, which limits the ability to place these citations in historical context. What the violation profiles alone reveal is that several facilities have accumulated the kinds of systemic failures, absent management, no health policies, no handwashing infrastructure, that inspectors associate with establishments that have not built food safety into daily operations.
The AC Hotel Miami Midtown's combination of 12 high-severity citations including management absence, unapproved food sourcing, and shellfish record failures across a single inspection suggests breakdowns at multiple points in the kitchen simultaneously. A hotel restaurant on Biscayne Boulevard draws a mix of tourists and local diners who have no way to know a person in charge was not on the floor during service.
Cilantro Asian Bistro in Davie and South China Restaurant in Cooper City, both in Broward County, each reached 10 high-severity violations with overlapping citation categories: shellfish records, parasite destruction, handwashing failures, and illness reporting gaps. Both restaurants serve menus that include raw or lightly cooked seafood, where parasite and shellfish traceability violations carry the most direct risk to the customer eating the dish.
El Rey de la Frita in Hialeah drew citations for food in poor condition or adulterated alongside sourcing from unapproved suppliers, a combination that raises the question of where the food came from and what condition it was in when it arrived. Those two violations together leave inspectors, and customers, without an answer.
