MIAMI, FL. Two South Florida restaurants each accumulated 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection week, one of them serving shellfish without the traceability records required to trace an outbreak back to its source, the other sourcing food from suppliers that have not been approved by state or federal regulators.
State inspectors visited 15 restaurants across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties between September 12 and September 18, 2026, and documented high-severity violations at every single one. The total: 120 high-severity citations across the tri-county area in seven days, with 12 of the 15 facilities located in Miami-Dade alone.
The Worst of the Week
Sams Country Kitchen on N Krome Avenue in Homestead tied for the week's highest violation count with 12 high-severity citations. Inspectors found the person in charge absent or not performing duties, no written employee health policy, and improper handwashing technique. They also cited the kitchen for inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the oysters or clams on the menu could not be traced to a licensed harvester if a customer became ill.
Sams was also cited for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, for food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and for using time as a public health control without doing so properly. There was no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Taqueria y Pupuseria Lupita on W 12th Avenue in Hialeah matched that count. The violations there included food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, food in poor condition or adulterated, and an employee who was not reporting symptoms of illness. Inspectors also found no written employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper technique, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned.
Raccoon Coffee on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami drew 11 high-severity violations. The coffee shop, which is not a facility most customers would associate with shellfish, was cited for inadequate shell stock identification records and for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures. Inspectors also documented no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, unsanitized food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
New York/Roma Pizza and Pasta on SE 2nd Avenue in Miami also reached 11 high-severity violations. Food was sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers. Inspectors found food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and handwashing failures on both the technique and frequency counts.
Across the Counties
Shorty's Bar-B-Que on S Dixie Highway in Miami drew seven high-severity violations, including two that stand apart from the rest of this week's list: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The same combination appeared at Casa Juan on NW 7th Street in Miami, which had six high-severity violations and also included food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Old Cutler Inn on Old Cutler Road in Miami accumulated 10 high-severity violations. No person in charge was present or performing duties. There was no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate handwashing by food employees, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
In Broward County, Hallyu Korean BBQ on N University Drive in Tamarac reached 10 high-severity violations. The restaurant was cited for no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to minimum temperature.
Miller's Ale House on Oakwood Boulevard in Hollywood was the second Broward facility on the list, with four high-severity violations: failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, unsanitized food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate cooling or cold-holding equipment as intermediate violations.
Palm Beach County's sole entry this week was Rivales Taqueria and Craft Bar on N Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach, with four high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, inadequate handwashing by food employees, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also documented improper sewage disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and inadequate ventilation as intermediate violations.
Back in Miami-Dade, Restaurante Universal Maria's on Opa-locka Boulevard in Opa-locka drew 10 high-severity violations. The list included no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and improper use of time as a public health control.
JJ's Cuisine on NE 1st Road in Homestead logged nine high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness demonstrated, a citation that appeared at only one other facility this week. Inspectors also found an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, unsanitized food contact surfaces, improper time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and two separate toxic substance violations.
Lido Bayside Grill on Island Avenue in Miami Beach drew four high-severity violations at a waterfront address that draws tourist traffic. The citations included failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, unsanitized food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Mmabes Frutas Frescas y Cafe on NE 8th Street in Homestead and Keik Bakeshop on NW 87th Avenue in Doral each drew two high-severity violations. Mmabes was cited for food not cooked to minimum temperature and improper use of time as a public health control, with improper sewage disposal as an intermediate violation. Keik Bakeshop was cited for unsanitized food contact surfaces and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
What These Violations Mean
The food sourcing violations at Taqueria y Pupuseria Lupita and New York/Roma Pizza and Pasta carry consequences that extend beyond the kitchens where they were found. When food arrives from unapproved or unknown suppliers, it has bypassed the USDA and FDA inspection systems that create the paper trail investigators follow when people get sick. If a customer at either restaurant develops a foodborne illness, there is no chain of custody to trace the ingredient back to its origin.
The shellfish traceability failures at Sams Country Kitchen, Raccoon Coffee, New York/Roma Pizza and Pasta, Hallyu Korean BBQ, and Restaurante Universal Maria's point to a related problem. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, and they filter large volumes of water, concentrating whatever pathogens are present. The identification tags that accompany licensed shellfish shipments are what allow health officials to identify and recall a contaminated harvest before more people are exposed. Without those records, that recall mechanism does not function.
The cluster of employee illness violations, found at Taqueria y Pupuseria Lupita, Raccoon Coffee, New York/Roma Pizza and Pasta, Old Cutler Inn, Hallyu Korean BBQ, Restaurante Universal Maria's, and JJ's Cuisine, describes a direct transmission route. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads readily from an infected food handler to customers through contaminated food. A written employee health policy is the mechanism that keeps a sick worker out of the kitchen. Without one, there is no documented procedure requiring that worker to stay home.
The toxic substance violations at Shorty's Bar-B-Que, Casa Juan, JJ's Cuisine, Lido Bayside Grill, Miller's Ale House, and Rivales Taqueria are distinct from the biological hazards on this list. Improperly stored or unlabeled cleaning chemicals stored near food preparation areas can contaminate food directly, and the resulting illness, unlike most bacterial foodborne illness, can present within minutes of consumption.
The Longer Record
The inspection history behind this week's list varies considerably by facility. Shorty's Bar-B-Que on S Dixie Highway carries one of the longer records among the restaurants cited this week, a location that has been operating long enough to accumulate a substantial inspection history. The combination of toxic chemical storage violations alongside sewage disposal problems at a high-volume barbecue operation on a major Miami corridor raises questions about whether these are isolated lapses or recurring patterns.
Hallyu Korean BBQ in Tamarac and Miller's Ale House in Hollywood are both chain or brand-affiliated locations with established operational standards, which makes the severity of their violation counts this week notable. Hallyu reached 10 high-severity violations including management absence and an employee not reporting illness. Miller's Ale House, a Florida-based chain with dozens of locations, drew a toxic substance citation alongside a sewage disposal finding and inadequate cold-holding equipment.
Three Homestead facilities appear on this week's list: Sams Country Kitchen, Mmabes Frutas Frescas y Cafe, and JJ's Cuisine. Sams led the week's violation count. JJ's Cuisine, with nine high-severity violations including an allergen awareness failure, is among the more serious findings for a smaller operation in that market.
Lido Bayside Grill on Island Avenue in Miami Beach serves a tourist-heavy waterfront area. The failure to follow parasite destruction procedures at a location where raw or undercooked seafood is a reasonable menu expectation, combined with food not cooked to minimum temperature, means customers who ordered fish that week may not have received the level of safety assurance the menu implied.
