MIAMI, FL. A Homestead restaurant accumulated 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection week, including food from unapproved sources, no employee health policy, and a person in charge who was either absent or not performing duties, the worst single-facility tally in a tri-county sweep that flagged 148 high-severity citations across 15 South Florida locations between July 13 and July 19, 2026.
The Worst of the Week
MayaMex Restaurant on N Krome Avenue in Homestead led all facilities this week with 13 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish identification records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Three of MayaMex's violations targeted the management and employee health structure directly: no person in charge present or performing duties, no written employee health policy, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. That combination, all three present simultaneously, is among the most dangerous configurations an inspector can document.
Cilantro Asian Bistro on W SR 84 in Davie was the Broward County leader, with 12 high-severity violations. The facility drew the same three-part management failure as MayaMex: absent person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms. Inspectors also cited three separate handwashing failures at the same location: inadequate handwashing by employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper hand and arm washing technique.
That three-layer handwashing breakdown at Cilantro means the problem is structural, not incidental. There was no proper place to wash hands, no correct technique being used, and employees were not washing adequately even when attempting to do so.
Sushi Sake on SW 42nd Street in Miami drew 11 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, improper use of time as a public health control, and two separate handwashing failures. The facility also lacked an employee health policy and had an absent or non-functioning person in charge, with employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Fiore Caffe on SE 1st Street in downtown Miami accumulated 10 high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish records, parasite destruction failures, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and improper use of time as a public health control. Inspectors also noted missing consumer advisories for raw or undercooked foods.
Happy's Stork Lounge and Rasoi Indian Kitchen on 79th Street Causeway in North Bay Village matched Fiore Caffe's count at 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, food not cooked to required temperature, and a complete handwashing infrastructure failure: no adequate facilities, inadequate handwashing by employees, and improper technique. No person in charge was present or performing duties.
Across the Three Counties
Miami-Dade accounted for 11 of the 15 facilities cited this week. The county's violations stretched from Key Biscayne to Hialeah to Miami Beach, covering tourist corridors, causeway dining, and neighborhood restaurants alike.
11 Street Diner on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, a diner that sits in one of the highest-foot-traffic tourist corridors in Florida, drew 9 high-severity violations. Those included food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction failures, improper time control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. No person in charge was present or performing duties.
Pistacchio on NE 23rd Street in Miami was cited for 9 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and no written health policy was in place.
Maman on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami also drew 9 high-severity violations: food from unapproved sources, shellfish traceability failures, food not cooked to required temperature, improper time control, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory. An employee was documented as not reporting illness symptoms, and no person in charge was present.
D'Lite Bistro and Bakery on Crandon Boulevard in Key Biscayne accumulated 9 high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, shellfish traceability failures, parasite destruction failures, and missing handwashing infrastructure. Three violations targeted the employee health and illness reporting system directly.
Cuba Lives Restaurant on W 12th Avenue in Hialeah drew 4 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, no consumer advisory, and no written employee health policy. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Porto Alegre Brazilian Grill Restaurant on E 8th Avenue in Hialeah was cited for one high-severity violation, an absent or non-functioning person in charge, along with improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate ventilation.
In Broward County, El Fogon Dreams on Davie Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale drew 4 high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and no employee health policy. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that puts fecal contamination risk throughout the facility.
La Granja Chicken Steak and Seafood on Stirling Road in Davie drew one high-severity violation, a missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, along with improperly cleaned multi-use utensils.
Palm Beach County's single entry this week was Flavor of India Restaurant on N Dixie Highway in Lake Worth, which drew 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited inadequate shellfish records, food not cooked to required temperature, improper time control, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory, and no written employee health policy. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and improper hand and arm washing technique was documented.
Big Crazy Taco on N Krome Avenue in Homestead drew 4 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing, parasite destruction failures, unclean food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
What These Violations Mean
The single most dangerous cluster documented this week is the combination of no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no person in charge, a trifecta found at MayaMex, Cilantro Asian Bistro, Sushi Sake, and D'Lite Bistro and Bakery simultaneously. Without a written policy, workers have no formal instruction about when to stay home. Without reporting requirements, a worker with Norovirus or Salmonella has no mechanism or incentive to disclose symptoms. Without a manager present and engaged, neither of those gaps gets caught.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Sushi Sake, 11 Street Diner, Pistacchio, Maman, and Happy's Stork Lounge, means there is no supply chain documentation if a customer gets sick. Health investigators tracing a foodborne illness outbreak depend on lot numbers, supplier records, and delivery logs. When food arrives outside licensed channels, that trail does not exist.
Parasite destruction failures, documented at MayaMex, Cilantro Asian Bistro, Big Crazy Taco, Fiore Caffe, 11 Street Diner, and D'Lite Bistro and Bakery, are directly relevant at restaurants serving raw or undercooked fish. The procedure requires fish to be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before serving raw. Skipping it means live parasites including Anisakis can survive into the finished dish.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at Cuba Lives Restaurant, Pistacchio, and Maman, represents an acute risk distinct from bacterial contamination. A chemical stored near or above food prep areas, or in an unlabeled container that a worker mistakes for a food ingredient, can cause immediate poisoning. It is among the fastest-onset hazards on an inspection form.
The Longer Record
The data does not include prior inspection counts for these facilities, which limits the ability to place this week's findings against a longer pattern. What the violation totals alone establish is that several of these locations have accumulated serious systemic failures, not isolated oversights. When a facility draws three simultaneous handwashing violations, as Cilantro Asian Bistro and Happy's Stork Lounge did, or when a facility draws the full management-illness-reporting failure set, as MayaMex and D'Lite Bistro and Bakery did, the record reflects a system that was not working, not a single worker who forgot a step.
The 11 Street Diner on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach warrants particular attention given its location. Washington Avenue sits at the center of one of the most visited tourist districts in the state, with foot traffic that includes international visitors, elderly tourists, and families. Nine high-severity violations at that address, including food from unapproved sources and no person in charge, carry a reach that extends beyond a neighborhood customer base.
Maman on Biscayne Boulevard drew 9 high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored. Biscayne Boulevard has seen significant dining investment in recent years, and Maman is among the newer entrants on that corridor. Nine high-severity violations in a single inspection week, at a location still building its customer base, is a record that will follow it.
