MIAMI, FL. A restaurant on SW 137th Avenue racked up 14 high-severity violations in a single inspection visit, the worst single-facility tally in Miami-Dade during the week of August 23 through August 29, 2026, a stretch that saw 15 restaurants across the county cited for three or more critical violations each.
The Worst of the Week
Rinconcito Miami 2 on SW 137th Avenue drew citations that touched nearly every layer of food safety at once: no person in charge performing duties, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shellfish traceability records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Six intermediate violations accompanied the eight listed above, for a total of 20 citations in the visit.
Rinconcito Latino Mixto on NW 10th Avenue matched the week's second-worst high-severity count with 12, including a citation for inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure to wash hands properly was itself found deficient. The location also drew violations for no employee health policy, food from an unapproved source, and food contact surfaces not properly sanitized.
100 Montaditos in Midtown Miami also reached 12 high-severity citations. Inspectors cited the NE 1st Avenue location for food not cooked to required minimum temperature and for an employee not reporting illness symptoms, alongside the absent person in charge and unapproved food sourcing violations.
Toro Toro at 100 Chopin Plaza sits in the heart of downtown Miami's tourist and convention corridor, steps from Bayfront Park. Inspectors cited it for 11 high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to minimum required temperature.
Fontana Restaurant at 1200 Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables, located inside the Biltmore Hotel, also drew 11 high-severity violations. The list included food from an unapproved source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required temperature, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. Fontana added the highest intermediate violation count of any facility this week, at seven.
Baires Grill on South Miami Avenue in Brickell drew 10 high-severity violations. Among them: food from an unapproved source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Tropical Smoothie on SW 120th Street in southwest Miami reached 10 high-severity violations as well, including a citation for shellfish traceability records at a location whose branding centers on smoothies. Inspectors also cited the location for food not cooked to minimum temperature and time as a public health control not properly used.
Las Columnas Restaurant in Doral drew 10 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, shellfish traceability records, and parasite destruction procedures not followed.
Friends Market and Bistro on SE 6th Street in Brickell also reached 10 high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, food from an unapproved source, shellfish records, and food not cooked to minimum temperature.
Tani Thai by Rin on South Dixie Highway in Pinecrest drew eight high-severity violations, including two that stood out from the broader week's pattern: no allergen awareness demonstrated and required procedures for specialized processes not followed. Toxic chemicals were also found improperly stored or labeled.
Cafe Panisse on SW 57th Avenue drew nine high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Panaderia Colombiana Mi Cali in Hialeah drew five high-severity violations, with two focused on toxic substances: chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Nueva San Salvador Restaurant No. 4 on NW 22nd Avenue drew four high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored alongside food contact surfaces not properly sanitized. Inspectors also noted single-use items being improperly reused.
Di Napoli on South Dixie Highway drew five high-severity violations, including food not cooked to minimum temperature, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Tap42 in Kendall drew the week's lowest high-severity count at two, but inspectors cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation alongside toxic substances improperly identified or used.
What These Violations Mean
The single most repeated high-severity violation across this week's 15 facilities was food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, appearing at nearly every location on the list. Cutting boards, prep tables, and equipment that are not properly sanitized become direct transfer points for bacteria between raw and ready-to-eat foods. The risk is not theoretical: cross-contamination through improperly cleaned surfaces is a documented cause of Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Rinconcito Miami 2, Rinconcito Latino Mixto, 100 Montaditos, Toro Toro, Fontana Restaurant, Baires Grill, Tropical Smoothie, Friends Market and Bistro, and Di Napoli, means that product entered those kitchens without passing through the USDA or FDA inspection chain. If someone gets sick, there is no lot number, no supplier record, no way to trace the food back to its origin. That absence of traceability is what turns a single illness into an unresolved outbreak.
Parasite destruction procedures not followed, cited at Rinconcito Miami 2, Toro Toro, Fontana Restaurant, Baires Grill, Las Columnas, and Tani Thai by Rin, is a violation that specifically concerns raw or undercooked fish and meat. Anisakis, a roundworm found in marine fish, and Trichinella, found in undercooked pork, are killed by proper freezing or cooking. When those procedures are skipped, the parasites survive to the plate.
The allergen awareness violation at Tani Thai by Rin carries particular weight. Food allergies send 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year. A kitchen where staff cannot demonstrate allergen awareness is a kitchen where a diner with a severe allergy has no reliable protection.
The Longer Record
The two Rinconcito locations present a notable contrast. Rinconcito Miami 2, which led the week with 14 high-severity violations, carries license number SEA2335597, a relatively recent registration. Rinconcito Latino Mixto on NW 10th Avenue carries SEA2319395, an older license, suggesting an established operation that this week drew 12 high-severity violations including the infrastructure failure of inadequate handwashing facilities.
Toro Toro's license number, SEA2317202, is among the oldest in this week's data, indicating a facility with a longer operational history in the state inspection system. The downtown Miami location drew 11 high-severity violations this week, including food in poor condition and parasite destruction failures. A tourist-facing location with that violation profile and an established inspection history is a different story than a new operation still finding its footing.
Fontana Restaurant at the Biltmore Hotel carries license SEA2319410, also among the older registrations in this week's group. Eleven high-severity violations and seven intermediate citations at a hotel restaurant in Coral Gables, one of the county's most prominent hospitality addresses, is a combination the inspection record now documents.
Tani Thai by Rin in Pinecrest, license SEA2317060, is another older registration in this dataset. Eight high-severity violations this week included the allergen awareness failure and the specialized process violation, two citations that suggest gaps in staff training that an operation with a long inspection history would be expected to have resolved.
