MIAMI, FL. A Hialeah restaurant racked up 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, including food from an unapproved source, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no functioning employee health policy, topping a seven-day stretch in which 15 South Florida restaurants each drew three or more critical citations across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The Week's Worst
Trigo on W 49th Street led every facility inspected in the tri-county area this week. The 12 high-severity violations documented there included food from an unapproved or unknown source, employees not reporting illness symptoms, no written employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. No person in charge was present or performing duties at the time of the inspection.
Casa Juan on NW 7th Street in Miami drew 11 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate ones. Inspectors cited inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the restaurant could not document where its shellfish came from. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food was not cooked to the required minimum temperature.
Pincho on W 12th Avenue in Hialeah accumulated 10 high-severity violations. Among them: food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and inadequate shell stock records. The facility also failed to properly use time as a public health control, a mechanism that requires precise documentation when temperature monitoring is not used.
Broward's Worst Week
Hallyu Korean BBQ on N University Drive in Tamarac was Broward County's most-cited facility this week, with 10 high-severity violations. No person in charge was present, no employee health policy existed, and employees were not reporting illness symptoms. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned, and the restaurant could not produce adequate shell stock records.
Miller's Ale House on Oakwood Boulevard in Hollywood drew 9 high-severity violations. Parasite destruction procedures were not followed, a violation that applies to fish served raw or undercooked. No consumer advisory was posted to inform diners of that risk. Toxic chemicals were also found improperly stored or labeled.
Sicilian Oven Wood Fired Pizza on W Sample Road in Coral Springs drew 9 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and food not cooked to minimum temperature. No person in charge was present during the inspection.
Nelson's Diner on S Cypress Road in Pompano Beach rounded out Broward's worst performers with 8 high-severity violations. The diner had no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, and failed to follow required procedures for specialized food processes. No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked items.
Miami-Dade: A Crowded Field
Victory Restaurant and Lounge on NE 1st Avenue in Miami drew 9 high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled. The restaurant also lacked shell stock identification records and served food that had not reached minimum cooking temperatures.
Paraiso Tropical Pizzeria Restaurant y Heladeria on W 16th Avenue in Hialeah drew 9 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. Time as a public health control was not properly used, and food contact surfaces were not cleaned or sanitized.
Salumeria 104 on NE 1st Avenue in Miami, an Italian market and restaurant, drew 9 high-severity violations and 6 intermediate ones, the highest intermediate count of any facility this week. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored, no consumer advisory was posted, and time as a public health control was not properly documented. No person in charge was performing duties during the inspection.
Caffe Portofino on S Dixie Highway drew 9 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock records, and no consumer advisory. Time as a public health control was not properly used.
Naked Farmer on Giralda Avenue in Coral Gables drew 8 high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. That is a citation that applies directly to customers with food allergies. Required procedures for specialized processes were also not followed, and food came from an unapproved or unknown source.
Wah Hen Restaurant on NW 122nd Street in Hialeah Gardens drew 8 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked items.
Los Verdes Restaurant on SW 137th Avenue in Miami drew 8 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory. No person in charge was present or performing duties.
Mr Baker on NW 167th Street in Miami Gardens drew 2 high-severity violations, the lowest count among featured facilities this week, but one of them involved toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food. Single-use items were also found being improperly reused.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation this week, appearing at Trigo, Casa Juan, Hallyu Korean BBQ, Wah Hen, Paraiso Tropical, Sicilian Oven, Nelson's Diner, and Los Verdes, was the combination of no employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Those two violations together describe a kitchen where a worker with Norovirus or Salmonella has no formal obligation to stay home and no structured way to report that they are sick. Norovirus spreads person to person through contaminated food and surfaces, and a single infected food handler can trigger an outbreak affecting dozens of customers.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Trigo, Paraiso Tropical, Caffe Portofino, Naked Farmer, and Los Verdes, is a traceability failure with real consequences. When a restaurant cannot document where its food came from, investigators cannot trace the supply chain if customers get sick. Listeria in deli meat, Salmonella in produce, and E. coli in ground beef all require rapid tracebacks to identify the contaminated lot and pull it from shelves. No paperwork means no traceback.
Parasite destruction failures at Miller's Ale House and Victory Restaurant and Lounge carry a specific risk for diners who order fish raw or undercooked. Fish served without prior freezing to parasite-killing temperatures can harbor Anisakis, a parasitic roundworm that causes severe abdominal pain and can require surgical removal. Neither restaurant posted a consumer advisory informing diners that the risk existed.
The allergen awareness violation at Naked Farmer in Coral Gables is among the least common citations in any given week, and one of the most acute. Staff who cannot demonstrate allergen awareness cannot reliably tell a customer with a tree nut or shellfish allergy whether a dish is safe. Allergic reactions to food send roughly 30,000 people to emergency rooms in the United States each year.
The Longer Record
Several of the facilities cited this week carry inspection histories that extend well beyond a single bad visit. Miller's Ale House in Hollywood and Sicilian Oven in Coral Springs both carry prior inspection records that identify them as established operations, not newly licensed restaurants encountering their first scrutiny. Repeat citations in the same categories, particularly shell stock identification and consumer advisory posting, suggest that corrections made after one visit are not being maintained.
Hallyu Korean BBQ in Tamarac drew 10 high-severity violations despite an existing inspection record, including the management-level failures of no person in charge and no employee health policy. Those are not violations that develop overnight. A kitchen without a written illness policy has typically operated without one for an extended period.
Salumeria 104 in Miami drew the week's highest intermediate violation count, 6, alongside 9 high-severity citations. The combination of toxic chemical storage failures, no consumer advisory, and an absent person in charge at a market-restaurant that handles cured meats and raw preparations represents layered risk, not isolated lapses.
Naked Farmer in Coral Gables, which markets itself on the premise of farm-fresh, health-conscious food, drew 8 high-severity violations including the allergen awareness citation and a food sourcing violation. The restaurant could not document where some of its food came from.
