MIAMI, FL. State inspectors cited a Miami restaurant for 15 high-severity violations in a single week, the highest count among 15 South Florida facilities flagged during the inspection period of September 18 through September 24, 2026.
Miami-Dade Leads the Region
Las Tejas Restaurant on SW 26th Street drew 15 high-severity and 6 intermediate violations. Inspectors cited the facility for having no person in charge present, no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, and missing shellfish traceability records.
Piccola Pizzeria Pinecrest on South Dixie Highway followed with 13 high-severity violations. Among them: no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, missing shellfish records, and parasite destruction procedures not followed for fish.
The week's data shows two locations operating under the Rio Grande Churrascaria name. Rio Grande Churrascaria in Hialeah on West 46th Street collected 11 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improper use of time as a public health control. Rio Grande Churrascaria on SW 26th Street in Miami was cited for 11 high-severity and 7 intermediate violations at the same time, with inspectors noting missing shellfish records and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces in addition to the same handwashing and illness-reporting failures.
China Lee Restaurant on SW 8th Street drew 11 high-severity violations, including food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, food from unapproved sources, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature.
Mitricolor on SW 152nd Street also reached 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the facility for parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to minimum temperature, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Manta Restaurant on NW 25th Street was cited for 10 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. The facility had no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw foods.
Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine on NW 53rd Street in Doral drew 8 high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly stored or used, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Sushi Sake on SW 42nd Street was cited for 3 high-severity violations: improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
Palm Beach and Broward
Palm Beach County produced four of the 15 flagged facilities this week. Sticky Rice and Sushi on Lake Worth Road in Greenacres led the county with 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, missing shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to minimum temperature, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw foods.
Kao Gang Thai Sushi and Noodle Bar on PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens was cited for 5 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish records, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. PGA Boulevard is one of Palm Beach Gardens' primary commercial corridors, with high foot traffic from both residents and visitors.
Pirate's Well on Alt A1A in Lake Park drew 2 high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly stored or identified, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited three intermediate violations, including improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Sushi Kyu on Yamato Road in Boca Raton received 2 high-severity violations: improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Broward County's single entry this week came from Tamarac. Chow Time Grill and Buffet on West Commercial Boulevard was cited for 4 high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Five intermediate violations accompanied those findings, among them improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate cooling equipment.
Pacifico on West 29th Street in Hialeah drew 6 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation this week, appearing at Las Tejas, Piccola Pizzeria, both Rio Grande Churrascaria locations, Mitricolor, Manta Restaurant, Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, Sticky Rice and Sushi, Pacifico, Chow Time Grill and Buffet, and Kao Gang, was the absence of a written employee health policy or failure by employees to report illness symptoms. These two violations are directly connected. Without a written policy, workers have no clear instruction to stay home when sick. Without reporting, a single ill employee can expose every customer served that shift to Norovirus, which causes 20 million infections annually in the United States.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Las Tejas, Piccola Pizzeria, both Rio Grande Churrascaria locations, China Lee, and Sticky Rice and Sushi, means inspectors could not confirm that the food came through a licensed, inspected supply chain. If a customer became ill, investigators would have no way to trace the food back to its origin. That traceability gap is not a paperwork problem. It is what makes a contained outbreak impossible to investigate.
Parasite destruction violations at Piccola Pizzeria Pinecrest and Mitricolor carry a specific risk for sushi and raw fish menus. Fish served raw or lightly cooked must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites including Anisakis, which can cause severe gastrointestinal illness. When those procedures are skipped, the risk transfers directly to the customer.
The consumer advisory violation, found this week at Mitricolor, Manta Restaurant, Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, Sushi Sake, Sticky Rice and Sushi, Pacifico, Sushi Kyu, Pirate's Well, and Kao Gang, is the one violation that targets a specific population. Elderly diners, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems face acute danger from undercooked proteins. Without a posted advisory, they cannot make an informed choice.
The Longer Record
The data this week does not include prior inspection counts for all facilities, but several patterns are visible in the violation profiles. The two Rio Grande Churrascaria locations share nearly identical violation categories across separate addresses, suggesting systemic failures that are not isolated to one kitchen or one manager. Both locations were cited for missing shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no person in charge, and no employee health policy. That level of overlap across two locations points to a company-wide gap rather than a single bad inspection day.
Las Tejas Restaurant's 15 high-severity violations in a single visit place it at the top of the regional count this week, but the violation mix, covering management absence, illness reporting, handwashing, food sourcing, and shellfish traceability simultaneously, suggests failures across multiple operational systems rather than one isolated lapse.
Chow Time Grill and Buffet in Tamarac is a buffet-format restaurant, a service style that presents compounded risk because food sits at temperature for extended periods and is handled by a large number of customers. The combination of inadequate cooling equipment, improper sewage disposal, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces at a buffet operation raises questions about temperature control across every item on the line.
Pirate's Well on Alt A1A in Lake Park, a coastal road with seasonal tourist traffic, was the only facility this week where improper sewage or wastewater disposal appeared alongside a toxic substance storage violation. Neither violation was resolved in the inspection record provided.
