MIAMI, FL. A Kendall bar-and-grill racked up 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, including citations for food from unapproved sources, missing shellfish traceability records, and a complete breakdown in handwashing oversight, the worst single-facility total among 15 South Florida restaurants flagged between June 18 and June 24, 2026.
The Worst of the Week
Keg South of Kendall on SW 136 Avenue drew 12 high-severity citations, more than any other facility inspected in the tri-county area this week. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food from unapproved or unknown sources and inadequate shellfish identification records, meaning inspectors could not trace where oysters, clams, or mussels on the menu came from. The facility also received four separate handwashing violations: employees not washing adequately, improper technique, inadequate facilities, and a citation for the person in charge failing to perform oversight duties.
An employee was also cited for not reporting symptoms of illness. That violation, combined with the handwashing failures and absent managerial control, produced a cascade of interconnected risks at a single location in the same inspection window.
Miami-Dade: Ten Facilities, a Broad Pattern
Miami-Dade accounted for ten of the fifteen flagged facilities this week, and several of them shared the same clusters of violations.
Chong's Chinese Restaurant on W Flagler Street was cited for an employee working while actively ill with a transmissible disease, one of the most acute violations an inspector can document. The same inspection found improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and toxic chemicals stored or labeled incorrectly alongside the food operation.
Two blocks away on the same street, Beijing Garden on W Flagler Street drew five high-severity citations of its own, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, unsanitized food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, and improperly stored chemicals. The facility also lacked adequate cooling equipment, an intermediate violation that compounds temperature risks.
Mi Pueblo Restaurant on W Flagler Street accumulated eight high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, and a failure to properly use time as a public health control.
On Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, Salumeria 104 received eight high-severity citations. Inspectors documented food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, improperly cleaned contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked dishes. The restaurant also failed to properly use time as a public health control and stored toxic chemicals improperly.
Holy Guacamole on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, a tourist-heavy corridor, drew nine high-severity violations. Those included missing shellfish traceability records, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and a failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for using time as a public health control without following required procedures, and for no consumer advisory on raw or undercooked items.
Cocinita Miami on Brickell Avenue, in one of the city's densest dining corridors, received eight high-severity violations. Those included an employee not reporting illness symptoms, two separate handwashing failures, food in poor condition, food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Mercedes Coffee Shop on NW 54 Street was cited for three high-severity violations: improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals stored or labeled incorrectly, and failure to follow required procedures for specialized food processes.
La Belle Rose Restaurant on NE 19 Avenue in North Miami Beach drew one high-severity citation for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, alongside an intermediate violation for inadequate ventilation.
Palm Beach and Broward: Nine Violations at an Italian Kitchen, Flags at a Fort Lauderdale Hotel
Palm Beach County's two flagged facilities this week told different stories.
DeLuca's Italian Kitchen and Bar on S Jog Road in Boynton Beach led the county with nine high-severity violations, the second-highest total in the region this week. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. The facility also received four intermediate violations.
El Balcon de las Americas V on Sandalfoot Boulevard in Boca Raton received a single high-severity citation for inadequate handwashing by food employees.
In Broward County, the most notable finding came at a hotel restaurant. Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Beach on S Seabreeze Boulevard, a beachfront hotel property drawing tourist traffic throughout the summer, was cited for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and for not posting a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Whole Green Cafe on N Federal Highway in Pompano Beach drew two high-severity violations: food in poor condition and failure to follow required procedures for specialized food processes, a citation that applies to operations like reduced-oxygen packaging, curing, or fermenting.
Ten Ten Seafood and Grill on Sunset Strip in Sunrise received one high-severity citation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and one intermediate violation for inadequate ventilation.
What These Violations Mean
The most acute finding this week was at Chong's Chinese Restaurant, where an employee was documented working while ill with a transmissible disease. This is not a paperwork violation. A sick food handler is a direct transmission route for Hepatitis A, Norovirus, and Salmonella, pathogens that spread person-to-person through contaminated food before a customer has any way to know they are at risk.
The handwashing failures documented across at least eight facilities this week, including Keg South of Kendall, Mi Pueblo Restaurant, Cocinita Miami, China Fun, and others, represent the single most common pathway for spreading illness in a food service environment. A citation for "improper technique" means an employee made an attempt to wash their hands but did so incorrectly, leaving pathogens in place. A citation for "inadequate facilities" means the infrastructure to wash hands correctly was not available at all.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Keg South of Kendall, DeLuca's Italian Kitchen, Mi Pueblo Restaurant, and Salumeria 104, removes the traceability chain entirely. If a customer becomes ill after eating at one of these restaurants, investigators cannot trace the food back to its origin. Shellfish traceability failures at Keg South of Kendall, DeLuca's Italian Kitchen, and Holy Guacamole compound that risk specifically for raw or lightly cooked oysters, clams, and mussels, foods that carry Vibrio bacteria and are consumed without a kill step.
The parasite destruction failure at Holy Guacamole on Washington Avenue applies to raw fish dishes. Without verified freezing at required temperatures and durations, parasites including Anisakis can survive in sushi, ceviche, or tartare and cause illness in customers who have no way to know the risk was not managed.
The Longer Record
Several facilities flagged this week carry inspection histories that provide important context. Chong's Chinese Restaurant, which drew the employee-working-while-ill citation, has 2,301 prior inspections on record, one of the longest histories in the data set. A facility with that many inspections on file and a violation of that severity in the current week is not a new operation struggling to find its footing.
Beijing Garden carries 2,320 prior inspections and was cited this week for five high-severity violations including no employee health policy and improperly stored chemicals. Mi Pueblo Restaurant shows 2,321 prior inspections and drew eight high-severity citations, including absent management and food from unapproved sources.
DeLuca's Italian Kitchen has 6,013 inspections in its history and still drew nine high-severity violations this week, including no person in charge and no employee health policy. El Balcon de las Americas V, also in the Palm Beach data set with a comparable history, received only a single high-severity citation.
Cocinita Miami and Salumeria 104 both carry inspection histories in the 2,332 range, and both drew eight high-severity violations this week, including food not cooked to minimum temperatures. Cocinita sits on Brickell Avenue, one of Miami's highest-volume dining addresses, and its eight violations included an employee not reporting illness symptoms alongside the cooking temperature failure.
Holy Guacamole on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, a street that draws heavy tourist foot traffic year-round and especially in summer, had nine high-severity violations and no record of prior corrective action visible in this week's data. The parasite destruction failure at that location remains the week's most specific unresolved food safety gap.