MIAMI, FL. A cafeteria on NW 22nd Avenue in Miami drew 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, the highest count among 15 South Florida restaurants cited for three or more critical violations between October 15 and October 21, 2026.
The Worst of the Week
Polaris Cafeteria and Mini Market at 1153 NW 22 Ave drew eight distinct high-severity violation categories, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. The inspector also documented inadequate handwashing and improper handwashing technique as separate citations, meaning the facility failed on both whether employees washed their hands and how they did it when they tried.
The person in charge was cited as either absent or not performing duties. That citation appeared at ten of the fifteen facilities flagged this week.
El Gallego Spanish Food at 7171-7173 SW 8 St accumulated 11 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and inadequate shell stock identification records. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for improper use of time as a public health control, a violation that means food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without proper tracking of how long it had been there.
Churros Manolo at 7300 Collins Ave in Miami Beach matched El Gallego's count with 11 high-severity violations. Among the most serious: parasite destruction procedures not followed, food from unapproved sources, and inadequate handwashing facilities. The parasite destruction citation is notable at a Miami Beach location that draws heavy tourist traffic.
What Inspectors Found Across the Region
La Hormiga de Oro III at 18304 SW 147 Ave in southwest Miami drew 11 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, inadequate shell stock records, and food not cooked to minimum temperature. The combination of unverified sourcing and undercooking in a single inspection is among the more acute risk profiles in this week's data.
Hotel Indigo Miami Brickell and Atwell Suites Miami Brickell at 145 SW 11 St drew 11 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. A hotel kitchen serving guests who may include elderly travelers and people with compromised immune systems drew no advisory notice for dishes that could require one.
Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine at 2216 NE 123 St in North Miami also reached 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited parasite destruction procedures not followed alongside food in poor condition and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Feel Good Coffee Lounge at 13750 NW 107 Ave in Hialeah drew 10 high-severity violations despite operating as a coffee lounge, a format that does not typically involve the high-risk food handling flagged here. Inspectors cited inadequate shell stock identification records alongside food not cooked to minimum temperature, food from unapproved sources, and no employee health policy.
Pho Gia Vi at 1799 N SR 7 in Margate was one of two Broward County facilities in this week's data. Inspectors cited food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards alongside food from unapproved sources and inadequate shell stock records. The contamination citation, which covers physical hazards like glass or metal fragments as well as chemical adulterants, is among the more immediate risk categories in the data.
La Boulangerie Boul'Mich at 8283 SW 124 St in Pinecrest drew 10 high-severity and six intermediate violations, the highest intermediate count of any facility this week. Parasite destruction procedures not followed appeared alongside food not cooked to minimum temperature and improper use of time as a public health control.
Shinju Japanese Buffet at 8800 SW 72 St in Miami drew 10 high-severity and seven intermediate violations, the highest combined count in the dataset. The buffet format, where food sits on open service lines for extended periods, makes the time-as-public-health-control citation particularly significant.
Doughboys Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant at 829 SE 17 St in Fort Lauderdale was the second Broward facility cited this week, drawing 10 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. No consumer advisory at a pizzeria that may serve undercooked items leaves customers without information to make an informed choice.
Nusr-Et Steakhouse at 999 Brickell Ave, the high-profile Brickell restaurant known for its premium price point, drew 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited parasite destruction procedures not followed, food from unapproved sources, inadequate handwashing, no employee health policy, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. A steakhouse that serves raw and lightly cooked preparations without a consumer advisory drew that citation at one of Miami's most recognizable dining addresses.
La Pasadita at 624 N English Ave in Homestead drew six high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Both citations appeared together, meaning inspectors found chemicals near food preparation areas that were neither properly stored nor properly identified.
Kitchen Bistro at 3401 NW 25 St in Miami and Habana 1900 at 8770 Coral Way each drew five or fewer high-severity violations but still reached the three-citation threshold that triggered inclusion in this week's data.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited high-severity violation this week was the absence of an employee health policy or employees failing to report illness symptoms. Those two citations appeared together at Polaris Cafeteria, Churros Manolo, La Hormiga de Oro III, Feel Good Coffee Lounge, Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine, Doughboys Pizzeria, and Nusr-Et Steakhouse. A written health policy is the mechanism that stops a sick food worker from showing up and handling food. Without one, there is no formal instruction telling an employee with Norovirus or Salmonella symptoms to stay home.
Parasite destruction failures appeared at Churros Manolo, Taj Mahal Indian Cuisine, La Boulangerie Boul'Mich, and Nusr-Et Steakhouse. The citation means fish, pork, or other proteins were not subjected to the freezing or cooking protocols required to kill parasites like Anisakis or Trichinella before being served. At a steakhouse and a Japanese buffet, where raw and lightly cooked fish and meat are central to the menu, the absence of verified parasite destruction is a direct public health gap.
Food from unapproved sources appeared at nine of the fifteen facilities. That violation matters most when something goes wrong. If a customer becomes ill and investigators need to trace the food back to its origin, an unapproved source has no USDA or FDA inspection record to follow. The traceability chain that allows health departments to identify and contain an outbreak does not exist for food that entered a kitchen without documentation.
Inadequate shell stock identification records appeared at El Gallego, La Hormiga de Oro III, Feel Good Coffee Lounge, Pho Gia Vi, La Boulangerie Boul'Mich, Shinju Japanese Buffet, and Doughboys Pizzeria. Shellfish, consumed raw or lightly cooked, carry Vibrio and other pathogens that are directly traceable to specific harvest beds. Without the required tags, inspectors cannot identify where the shellfish came from if a customer reports an illness.
The Longer Record
Several facilities in this week's data carry inspection histories that extend the context of what was found. Pho Gia Vi in Margate carries inspection record number SEA1623093, a lower sequence number that indicates a longer operational history in the state database than the SEA233-range facilities that dominate this week's list. Doughboys Pizzeria in Fort Lauderdale similarly carries record number SEA1614965, placing it among the more established entries in this week's data.
The majority of facilities this week carry SEA233-range record numbers, suggesting many are relatively newer entrants to the state inspection system. Polaris Cafeteria at SEA2303498, El Gallego at SEA2321786, and Shinju Japanese Buffet at SEA2326822 fall into this category. Accumulating 10 or more high-severity violations early in an operational record is a different problem than a long-established restaurant cycling through recurring citations, but the public health risk in either case is the same.
Hotel Indigo Miami Brickell, operating as a dual-branded hotel property at 145 SW 11 St, drew 11 high-severity violations at a facility that serves guests who may have no awareness of the inspection record before checking in. Nusr-Et Steakhouse on Brickell Avenue, one of Miami's most visited upscale dining destinations, drew 10 high-severity violations including the parasite destruction and unapproved sourcing citations that inspectors did not find resolved before the week closed.
