MIAMI, FL. A Homestead restaurant accumulated 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, including food sourced from unapproved suppliers and no evidence that anyone with authority was present to oversee the operation.
State inspectors working across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties flagged 15 restaurants with three or more high-severity violations during the week of July 10 through July 16, 2026. Miami-Dade accounted for 12 of those facilities. The combined high-severity count across all 15 restaurants reached 136.
The Worst of the Week
Mayamex Restaurant on N Krome Ave in Homestead led all facilities this week with 13 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, and employees not reporting symptoms of illness. Food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers was documented, along with food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. That combination, absent management, sick workers with no reporting obligation, and unverifiable food supply, describes the conditions regulators most closely associate with multi-victim outbreaks.
Cilantro Asian Bistro on W SR 84 in Davie was the week's second-worst facility, with 12 high-severity violations. Broward County produced only two facilities on this week's list, and Cilantro topped them both. Inspectors cited the restaurant for three distinct handwashing failures: inadequate handwashing by employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper hand and arm washing technique. No employee health policy was in place, employees were not reporting illness symptoms, no person in charge was present, shellfish identification records were inadequate, and parasite destruction procedures were not followed.
In Cutler Bay, Poke and Tea on Old Cutler Rd drew 11 high-severity violations. A poke restaurant serving raw fish without following parasite destruction procedures and without adequate shellfish traceability records is a particular concern: the cuisine depends on raw seafood, and the violations inspectors found go directly to whether that seafood was handled safely before it reached a customer's bowl.
Sushi Sake on SW 42nd St in Miami also received 11 high-severity violations. Like Poke and Tea, it is a raw-fish concept. Inspectors found food sourced from unapproved suppliers, no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and improper use of time as a public health control.
Two Miami Beach restaurants appeared on the list, including a tourist-corridor location. Maison Valentine on 15th St received 10 high-severity violations, among them food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish records, and no adequate handwashing facilities. A few blocks away on Washington Avenue, the well-known 11 Street Diner drew 9 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improper time-as-public-health-control use, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Fiore Caffe on SE 1st St in downtown Miami accumulated 10 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, food in poor condition, no consumer advisory, and improper use of time as a public health control. The cafe also lacked adequate handwashing facilities.
Happy's Stork Lounge and Rasoi Indian Kitchen on 79th St Causeway in North Bay Village tallied 10 high-severity violations. No person in charge was present. Inspectors documented three separate handwashing failures, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature.
In Hialeah, Cuba Lives Restaurant on W 12th Ave received 4 high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, no employee health policy, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Palm Beach County's sole entry this week was Flavor of India Restaurant on N Dixie Hwy in Lake Worth, with 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, food not cooked to minimum temperature, improper time control, inadequate shellfish records, and no consumer advisory.
Rey's Pizza on NW 122nd St in Hialeah Gardens drew 9 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, no person in charge, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and improper time control.
Bonsai Sushi Bar Restaurant on NW 58th St in Doral received 9 high-severity violations. Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled, food contact surfaces were not properly sanitized, no consumer advisory was posted, and no person in charge was present.
El Fogon Dreams on Davie Blvd in Fort Lauderdale was Broward County's second facility this week, with 4 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited food not cooked to required minimum temperature and improper sewage or wastewater disposal, in addition to no employee health policy and no consumer advisory.
Big Crazy Taco on N Krome Ave in Homestead received 4 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and no consumer advisory.
Porto Alegre Brazilian Grill Restaurant on E 8th Ave in Hialeah received the week's fewest citations among listed facilities, with 1 high-severity violation for no person in charge, alongside intermediate citations for improper sewage disposal and inadequate ventilation.
What These Violations Mean
The single most alarming pattern this week is the convergence of no-person-in-charge findings with missing employee health policies and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Nine of the 15 facilities had no person in charge present or performing duties. CDC data links the absence of active managerial control directly to higher rates of critical violations. At Mayamex Restaurant, Cilantro Asian Bistro, Sushi Sake, Happy's Stork Lounge, Rey's Pizza, Bonsai Sushi Bar, and the 11 Street Diner, inspectors found that gap at the same facilities where other high-severity violations were stacking up.
The food-from-unapproved-sources citations at Mayamex, Poke and Tea, Sushi Sake, Maison Valentine, Bonsai Sushi Bar, Rey's Pizza, Happy's Stork Lounge, and the 11 Street Diner mean something specific: if a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot trace that food back through a regulated supply chain. There is no harvest record, no distribution log, no USDA or FDA inspection point. Listeria, Salmonella, and hepatitis A have all been traced to uninspected food sources in prior Florida outbreaks.
Parasite destruction failures at Big Crazy Taco, Mayamex, Cilantro Asian Bistro, Poke and Tea, Fiore Caffe, and the 11 Street Diner carry a specific risk that most diners don't consider: fish served raw or undercooked must be frozen to defined temperatures and time periods to kill parasites including Anisakis, a nematode that causes severe abdominal pain and can require surgical removal. A menu that offers raw or undercooked fish without those protocols in place is serving food that has not been rendered safe.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, documented at Cuba Lives Restaurant and Bonsai Sushi Bar, represent an acute poisoning risk distinct from the biological hazards above. A chemical stored near food or in an unlabeled container can contaminate a dish without any visible sign, and the resulting illness can be misdiagnosed as foodborne bacterial illness.
The Longer Record
The data this week does not include prior inspection counts for individual facilities, which limits direct comparison of chronic versus new violators. What the violation tallies alone show is that several facilities with the most serious citation patterns are not single-issue operations. Mayamex Restaurant's 13 high-severity findings span management, illness reporting, food sourcing, shellfish traceability, parasite protocols, and sanitation, six distinct failure categories in one inspection. That breadth is not consistent with an isolated lapse.
Cilantro Asian Bistro's 12 high-severity violations similarly spread across management presence, illness policy, three separate handwashing failures, shellfish records, and parasite destruction. Three distinct handwashing failures at a single facility, covering facilities, technique, and employee behavior, suggests a systemic absence of training rather than a single oversight.
The 11 Street Diner on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach operates in one of Florida's highest-volume tourist corridors. Its 9 high-severity violations this week included food from unapproved sources and parasite destruction procedures not followed, violations that affect every customer who orders a dish with raw or undercooked fish, regardless of whether that customer is a local or a visitor.
Maison Valentine on 15th St in Miami Beach also draws a tourist and local dining crowd. Its 10 high-severity violations included inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for basic hygiene was absent, not merely ignored.
