MIAMI, FL. A poke restaurant in Miami's Wynwood-adjacent corridor drew 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, the highest single-facility count among 15 South Florida restaurants flagged between September 30 and October 6, 2026, with 14 of those facilities located in Miami-Dade County.
The Worst of the Week
Crazy Poke on NW 24th Street racked up violations spanning nearly every layer of food safety, from the top of the management chain to the food itself. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate handwashing facilities. The inspector also cited the restaurant for food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, food in poor condition or adulterated, and inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning shellfish on the premises could not be traced to a certified harvest location.
Five of the 15 flagged facilities this week each accumulated 11 high-severity violations. Los Roques Gourmet & Grill on NW 58th Street drew citations for food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed for fish or meat, improper handwashing technique, and time used improperly as a public health control. That last citation means food was left in the bacterial growth zone, between 41 and 135 degrees, without either temperature control or a documented time limit.
Mr Cachapa on NW 2nd Avenue was cited for no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, and food in poor or adulterated condition. Seven of its 11 high-severity violations involved either the health of employees or the origin of the food being served.
Ferraro's Kitchen on NE 79th Street was flagged for parasite destruction failures, food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, and time misused as a public health control, in addition to no person in charge and no employee health policy. The combination of undercooking and parasite destruction failures at a single facility is among the most direct pathways to foodborne illness in the inspection record this week.
La Munequita Restaurant on NE 2nd Avenue drew citations for no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to minimum temperature. Eight of its 11 high-severity violations were in categories directly linked to outbreak conditions.
Across the Region
Secreto on SW 73rd Street in South Miami drew 9 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. Secreto also had an employee not reporting illness symptoms.
Caribe Restaurant on NW 27th Avenue logged 8 high-severity violations and zero intermediate violations. Inspectors cited no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time misused as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
The only Broward County facility in this week's list, La Union Restaurant of Fla on South State Road 7 in Margate, drew 5 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, toxic chemicals improperly stored, inadequate handwashing, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
IHOP on Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami accumulated 10 high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, food not cooked to minimum temperature, time misused as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and no employee health policy. A national chain location with a shellfish traceability gap and a cooking temperature failure in the same inspection week is a combination that draws scrutiny.
Honey Veil South Miami on Sunset Drive drew 10 high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, inadequate shell stock identification records, food not cooked to minimum temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Jenni's Panaderia Salvadorena Corp on Washington Avenue in Homestead was cited for 10 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time misused as a public health control, and no employee health policy. A bakery with shellfish traceability violations is an unusual combination, and the inspector documented it.
Flora Plant Kitchen on NE 4th Court in Miami drew 10 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food in poor or adulterated condition, time misused as a public health control, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. A plant-based kitchen with a food sourcing violation means even the premise of ingredient transparency in the menu does not match what inspectors found.
Forno N09 Pizza and Subs / Redhead Burger / Mella Ice Cream and Yogurt on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, a multi-concept operation in one of the highest-traffic tourist corridors in the country, drew 2 high-severity violations: improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Tootsies on NW 183rd Street in North Miami Beach drew a single high-severity violation: food from an unapproved or unknown source.
What These Violations Mean
The most alarming cluster this week involves the combination of no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no person in charge, all documented together at Crazy Poke, Mr Cachapa, Ferraro's Kitchen, La Munequita, and Caribe Restaurant. When no one in charge is present, the safeguards that catch a sick employee before they handle food simply do not operate. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through exactly this gap: a worker who feels unwell but has no policy requiring them to report it, in a kitchen where no manager is watching.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited this week at Crazy Poke, Los Roques Gourmet & Grill, Mr Cachapa, Secreto, La Munequita, Flora Plant Kitchen, and Jenni's Panaderia, carries a specific public health consequence that goes beyond the food itself. If a customer becomes ill after eating food with no documented supply chain, there is no harvest record, no processing facility, no lot number to trace. An outbreak investigation stalls before it starts.
Parasite destruction failures at Los Roques Gourmet & Grill, Ferraro's Kitchen, and Honey Veil South Miami are not a paperwork problem. Fish served without proper freezing or cooking can contain Anisakis larvae, a parasite that embeds in the stomach lining and causes severe abdominal pain. The procedure exists because the risk is real and the remedy, a documented freeze cycle or verified cooking temperature, is straightforward.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at La Union Restaurant, Caribe Restaurant, Knife Steak House, Secreto, Honey Veil South Miami, and Flora Plant Kitchen, represent a contamination pathway that is immediate rather than gradual. A cleaning product stored above a food prep surface, or a bottle without a label, can end up in food through a spill or a misidentification, with consequences that have nothing to do with bacteria.
The Longer Record
The data provided does not include prior inspection counts for these facilities, which limits a full historical comparison. What the violation profiles do show is that several of this week's worst performers, including Crazy Poke, Mr Cachapa, and Ferraro's Kitchen, each with 11 or more high-severity citations, accumulated violations across multiple independent categories simultaneously. That breadth, touching management, employee health, sourcing, cooking, and sanitation in a single visit, is not consistent with isolated or accidental lapses.
Knife Steak House on NW 107th Avenue in Doral drew 4 high-severity violations, including two separate chemical storage and labeling citations, one for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and a second for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Two distinct chemical safety failures in one inspection at a steakhouse where raw meat is handled throughout the day is the combination that makes this week's Doral finding notable.
The Ocean Drive location housing Forno N09, Redhead Burger, and Mella Ice Cream sits in one of the most visited blocks in Miami Beach. Its violation count this week was low, but the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods at a multi-concept restaurant serving burgers in a high-tourist-traffic environment means customers ordering anything less than fully cooked had no written notice of the risk.
Tootsies in North Miami Beach drew only one high-severity citation, but food from an unapproved or unknown source is never a minor finding. The restaurant had no other violations documented this week, which makes the sourcing gap the single unresolved question the record leaves open.
