MIAMI BEACH, FL. State inspectors walked into Sunnyside at 232 5th Street on July 29 and found food on the premises that could not be traced to any approved or known source, a violation that means there is no way to determine whether that food ever passed a federal safety inspection.
The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
Beyond the sourcing violation, inspectors cited two separate handwashing failures. The first was that food employees were not adequately washing their hands at all. The second was that employees who did attempt to wash their hands were using improper technique, meaning pathogens were left on hands even after a wash.
Those two violations together document a near-complete breakdown in the most basic line of defense against foodborne illness transmission.
Inspectors also found that food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep counters, and utensils that touch what customers eat, were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled in the facility. The restaurant had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items, leaving customers with no way to make an informed decision about their own risk.
Three intermediate violations accompanied the six high-severity ones. Inspectors documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, single-use items being reused, and equipment in poor repair.
What These Violations Mean
Food from an unapproved or unknown source is not a paperwork problem. It means that whatever Sunnyside served from that supply had no documented chain of custody, no USDA or FDA inspection on record, and no traceability if a customer became sick. If a salmonella or listeria outbreak were linked to that food, investigators would have nowhere to start.
The two handwashing violations compound the risk in a specific and direct way. Inadequate handwashing means employees are skipping the step entirely or cutting it short. Improper technique means that even when the motion is performed, it is not effective. Together, they mean that whatever pathogens an employee carried, from raw protein, from a contaminated surface, from a bathroom visit, had a clear and largely unobstructed route onto the food being served to customers.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces extend that pathway further. Bacteria transferred from unwashed hands to a cutting board can survive and multiply on that surface, then transfer again to the next item prepared on it. That is how a single contamination event becomes multiple customer exposures.
The sewage violation is the one that sharpens all of it. Raw sewage contains fecal coliform bacteria, including E. coli strains capable of causing serious illness. Improper disposal of wastewater in a food preparation environment means that contamination is not confined to one area of the kitchen.
The Longer Record
The July 29 inspection was not an aberration. State records show Sunnyside has been inspected 21 times and has accumulated 225 total violations across its history, with zero emergency closures on record.
The most recent prior inspection, conducted on May 7, 2026, less than three months before this one, produced four high-severity violations and one intermediate. The inspection before that, in October 2025, found three high-severity violations. The one before that, in May 2025, found one high-severity violation.
The pattern does not show improvement. It shows a facility that cycles through serious violations, passes re-inspection, and then accumulates them again. The worst single inspection on record was November 2, 2023, when inspectors found eight high-severity and three intermediate violations. That visit did not result in a closure either.
Sunnyside Inspection History: High-Severity Violations Over Time
Two separate inspections were conducted on March 28, 2024, each finding three high-severity violations. That is unusual. It suggests inspectors returned the same day, found problems had not been resolved, and documented them again.
Across eight inspections spanning roughly two and a half years, Sunnyside has not recorded a single visit with zero high-severity violations.
Still Open
Florida law gives inspectors the authority to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Six high-severity violations, including food from an unverifiable source, a documented failure to wash hands, toxic chemicals near food preparation areas, and improper sewage disposal, did not meet that threshold on July 29.
Sunnyside remained open after the inspection.
