MIAMI, FL. A small restaurant on Southwest 26th Street in Miami accumulated 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of April 30, the worst tally among 15 South Florida facilities that inspectors flagged for serious food safety failures stretching from Coral Springs to Key Biscayne.
The 15 facilities together logged 130 high-severity violations and 35 intermediate violations across the tri-county region. Miami-Dade accounted for 13 of the 15 facilities. Broward contributed two.
The Worst of the Week
El Cantones Rest on Southwest 26th Street drew the week's highest single-inspection count: 13 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate. Among the most acute findings were food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed for fish or other high-risk proteins, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also cited the facility for no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique, a combination that covers nearly every layer of a kitchen's defense against contamination.
Rusty Pelican on the Rickenbacker Causeway in Key Biscayne drew 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors documented food from an unapproved or unknown source, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. The causeway location draws heavy tourist and weekend traffic, and the absence of a consumer advisory means diners ordering raw or lightly cooked items had no posted warning about the elevated risks.
KYU on Northwest 25th Street in Miami's Wynwood district also reached 11 high-severity violations. The citation list included food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and inadequate handwashing by employees. The person in charge was cited as not present or not performing duties during the inspection.
Mamacita's Mexican Bar and Grill on the Hollywood Broadwalk logged 10 high-severity violations, the week's worst tally in Broward County. Inspectors cited inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning oysters, clams, or mussels on the menu could not be traced to a certified source if a diner became ill. The facility was also cited for food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, inadequate handwashing facilities, and no person in charge.
Taco Rico on Southwest 8th Street in Miami reached 10 high-severity violations as well. The citation for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled stood out: cleaning agents or sanitizers stored near food preparation surfaces or mislabeled create a direct contamination pathway that no amount of cooking can reverse. Inspectors also cited parasite destruction procedures not followed, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory.
Down the List
Milanezza at 700 Crandon Boulevard in Key Biscayne drew 9 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, no consumer advisory, and inadequate handwashing facilities. Key Biscayne saw three facilities on this week's list, more than any single neighborhood in the region.
KPOT Korean BBQ and Hot Pot on West Flagler Street in Miami was cited for 9 high-severity violations including no employee health policy, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, and time as a public health control not properly used. The facility had no person in charge during the inspection.
Le Pain Quotidien on Main Highway in Coconut Grove accumulated 9 high-severity violations. The international bakery chain location was cited for no employee health policy, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Chelsea Restaurant on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach also reached 9 high-severity violations. The South Beach location was cited for no person in charge, no employee health policy, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and time as a public health control not properly used. No consumer advisory was posted.
Pacifico on West 29th Street in Hialeah drew 9 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate, the highest intermediate count among the week's worst facilities. Inspectors cited food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, no employee health policy, and no consumer advisory.
Mario the Baker Downtown on West Flagler Street in Miami reached 8 high-severity violations including no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year, and a downtown location serving lunch crowds amplifies that exposure.
Sunshine One Hospitality at 6700 Crandon Boulevard in Key Biscayne was cited for 8 high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no allergen awareness, inadequate shell stock records, and no consumer advisory. The facility lacked adequate handwashing facilities and no person in charge was present.
Sea View Rest Dining Room at 9909 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach drew 8 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no employee health policy, and time as a public health control not properly used. The Collins Avenue address places it in a heavily trafficked beachfront hotel corridor.
Islas Canarias Rest on Southwest 26th Street in Miami logged 8 high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, inadequate handwashing facilities, and no consumer advisory.
China Spring on Wiles Road in Coral Springs was the week's second Broward County facility. Inspectors found 8 high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated, food from an unapproved source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and time as a public health control not properly used.
What These Violations Mean
The most pervasive violation across this week's 15 facilities was improper handwashing, cited in some form at nearly every location. At El Cantones Rest, KPOT, Mamacita's, and Milanezza, inspectors documented both inadequate facilities and improper technique, meaning employees had nowhere adequate to wash their hands and were not washing them correctly when they tried. Hands are the primary vehicle for Norovirus transmission, and Norovirus is responsible for roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources appeared at Rusty Pelican, KYU, Mamacita's, KPOT, Le Pain Quotidien, Pacifico, Mario the Baker, Milanezza, and China Spring. When food enters a kitchen through channels that bypass federal inspection, there is no traceability if a diner becomes ill. An outbreak investigator cannot pull records that do not exist.
Parasite destruction procedures not followed, cited at El Cantones Rest, KYU, Taco Rico, Islas Canarias Rest, and China Spring, means fish, pork, or other high-risk proteins were served or stored without the required freezing or cooking steps that kill organisms like Anisakis roundworm or Trichinella. These parasites cause infections that can take weeks to diagnose.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, found at Taco Rico, Sunshine One Hospitality, and Sea View Rest Dining Room, is a category that cooking cannot fix. A cleaning agent that contaminates food before it reaches the stove does not become safe in the oven.
The Longer Record
The data shows a cluster of facilities with inspection histories that extend well before this week's findings. Rusty Pelican on the Rickenbacker Causeway carries the identifier SEA2303412, a sequence consistent with a facility that has been in the state inspection system for years. Pacifico in Hialeah, Sea View Rest Dining Room on Collins Avenue, and Islas Canarias Rest on Southwest 26th Street all carry similarly established identifier sequences, suggesting none of these are new operations accumulating their first serious citations.
Several facilities on this week's list carry identifier numbers in the SEA233 range, suggesting more recent entries into the system. KYU, KPOT, Le Pain Quotidien, and Chelsea Restaurant all fall in that range and are already logging 9 to 11 high-severity violations in a single inspection.
Mamacita's on the Hollywood Broadwalk carries identifier SEA1617802, one of the oldest sequences in this week's data, placing it among the most established operations on the list. A beachfront tourist destination with inadequate shell stock records and food from unapproved sources carries particular public health weight: the customers walking in off the Broadwalk have no way to know what the records show.
China Spring in Coral Springs, with identifier SEA1619699, is similarly long-established. Inspectors found food in poor condition or adulterated alongside parasite destruction failures and unapproved sourcing, three categories that together describe a kitchen where the supply chain, the storage, and the cooking process all drew serious flags in the same week.