MIAMI, FL. Three restaurants across the South Florida tri-county area each accumulated 12 high-severity violations during a single inspection week, state records show, with a Margate eatery, a Coral Gables jazz venue, and a Homestead buffet all topping the list for the week of September 21 through September 27, 2026.
The Worst of the Week
Delicias de la Abuela at 7270 W Atlantic Blvd in Margate drew 12 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. Inspectors cited the facility for having no employee health policy, for workers not reporting illness symptoms, and for inadequate handwashing by food employees. The shellfish records were also flagged as inadequate, meaning inspectors could not verify the source of any oysters, clams, or mussels served.
The Broward County location was also cited for food in poor condition or adulterated, and for food from an unapproved or unknown source. That combination, unverifiable food origins alongside unverifiable shellfish sourcing, puts it among the most concerning single-facility findings this week.
Armstrong Jazz House at 271 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables matched that 12-violation high-severity count. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate handwashing. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. The facility also had shellfish traceability problems and food from an unapproved source.
Goodtown Buffet at 218 NE 8th St in Homestead rounded out the trio at 12 high-severity violations. The buffet format compounds some of the risks inspectors documented: no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, food in poor condition, unverified shellfish records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Eleven Violations and Undercooked Food
Three more facilities hit 11 high-severity violations during the same week.
Totoritas Restaurant at 7367 NW 36th St in Miami was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, in addition to the full cluster of handwashing, illness reporting, and management failures. Inspectors also flagged inadequate shellfish identification records and unclean food contact surfaces.
Palm Diner at 9860 S Military Trail in Boynton Beach also drew a citation for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, alongside inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for hand hygiene was missing, not just the technique. Food from an unapproved or unknown source was also cited.
El Churrascaso Grill at 7761 NW 107th Ave in Doral was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required temperature, food from an unapproved source, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. A grill that serves undercooked food without telling customers it is undercooked, and without documentation that parasites were destroyed before service, presents a specific and direct risk.
The Rest of the Field
Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine at 8550 NW 53rd St in Doral accumulated 8 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, toxic substances improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. When a facility uses time instead of temperature to keep food safe, strict written procedures are required. Inspectors found those procedures were not being followed.
Piccola Pizzeria Pinecrest at 11421 S Dixie Hwy drew 7 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Improper sewage disposal was among the intermediate violations.
China Lee Restaurant at 559 SW 8th Street in Miami was cited for six high-severity violations including food not cooked to required temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. The allergen citation is notable: food allergy reactions send 30,000 people to emergency rooms annually in the United States.
Rio Grande Churrascaria at 11995 SW 26th St in Miami drew 5 high-severity violations alongside 6 intermediate ones, the largest intermediate count of any facility this week. Improper sewage disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and improper sanitizing procedures compounded the high-severity findings.
Kao Gang Thai Sushi and Noodle Bar at 2626 PGA Blvd in Palm Beach Gardens was cited for 5 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, inadequate shellfish identification records, and unclean food contact surfaces. The PGA Boulevard location puts it in one of Palm Beach County's higher-traffic commercial corridors.
Fritanga Cañita at 11865 SW 26th St in Miami drew 3 high-severity violations, among them required procedures for specialized processes not followed. That citation covers operations like smoking, curing, fermenting, and reduced-oxygen packaging, each of which requires documented safety protocols.
El Meson del Paraiso Restaurant at 12820 SW 120th St in Miami was cited for inadequate handwashing by food employees and toxic substances improperly stored or used.
Manta Restaurant at 102 NW 25th St in Miami drew 2 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy and unclean food contact surfaces, alongside an improper sewage disposal intermediate citation.
Sushi Kyu at 690 Yamato Road in Boca Raton had 2 high-severity violations: unclean food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. For a sushi restaurant, the absence of a consumer advisory for raw fish is a direct and specific gap.
What These Violations Mean
The illness-reporting failures documented at Delicias de la Abuela, Armstrong Jazz House, Goodtown Buffet, and Totoritas Restaurant represent one of the most direct routes from a sick employee to a sick customer. Norovirus, which can be transmitted by a single infected food handler, is responsible for the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks tied to restaurants. When there is no written health policy and no requirement to report symptoms, an employee with active illness has no formal barrier to continuing food preparation.
The food-from-unapproved-source citations at Piccola Pizzeria Pinecrest, Delicias de la Abuela, Armstrong Jazz House, Palm Diner, El Churrascaso Grill, and Rio Grande Churrascaria carry a specific consequence that goes beyond the violation itself. If a customer becomes sick, investigators need to trace the food back through the supply chain to identify a contaminated batch and warn others. Food from an unapproved source has no such chain. There is no distributor record, no lot number, no recall pathway.
The shellfish traceability failures at Delicias de la Abuela, Armstrong Jazz House, Goodtown Buffet, Totoritas Restaurant, El Churrascaso Grill, Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, Palm Diner, and Kao Gang Thai represent the same traceability problem applied to a food that is often consumed raw. Oysters, clams, and mussels are high-risk vehicles for Vibrio and hepatitis A. The required shellstock identification tags exist precisely because outbreaks have been traced to specific harvest beds. Without them, that trace is impossible.
Undercooking citations at Totoritas Restaurant, Palm Diner, El Churrascaso Grill, Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, China Lee Restaurant, and Rio Grande Churrascaria document the most fundamental cooking failure. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A restaurant that is not consistently reaching minimum temperatures is not consistently killing the pathogens that make people sick.
The Longer Record
Several of this week's highest-violation facilities are not new to state inspectors. Armstrong Jazz House on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, a high-profile dining destination in one of Miami-Dade's most visited commercial districts, is accumulating serious citations in its inspection record. The same is true of Goodtown Buffet in Homestead, where the combination of a buffet service model and 12 high-severity violations in a single visit, including parasite destruction failures and food in poor condition, indicates problems that extend across the operation rather than in one isolated area.
Delicias de la Abuela in Margate stands as the sole Broward County facility in this week's roundup of the 15 worst performers, and it drew the same violation count as the two Miami-Dade facilities that tied for the top. Its record includes the only combination this week of food from an unapproved source alongside food in poor condition, unverified shellfish, and workers not reporting illness, four distinct failure categories in a single inspection.
El Churrascaso Grill and Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, both located in Doral, together account for 19 high-severity violations between them in a single week from the same city. Doral's dense concentration of Latin American restaurants and its proximity to Miami International Airport mean both facilities serve a transient population that is unlikely to file follow-up complaints if they become ill after leaving.
Sushi Kyu in Boca Raton had the lowest violation count of any facility in this week's roundup, but its missing consumer advisory for raw fish is not a paperwork problem. It is the only formal mechanism by which a pregnant customer, an immunocompromised diner, or an elderly guest is informed that what they are about to eat has not been cooked.
