CUTLER BAY, FL. A state inspector walked into Tasty Ramen on Old Cutler Road on August 20, 2026, and found that the restaurant had no procedures in place to destroy parasites in fish, a critical failure in a noodle shop where raw or undercooked seafood is central to the menu. The inspector also found that no employee health policy existed, that a worker had not reported illness symptoms as required, and that food contact surfaces had not been properly cleaned or sanitized. Six violations were classified as high-severity. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite destruction finding is the most direct food safety threat to customers. Fish served raw or undercooked, including the kind common in ramen toppings, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before service to kill parasites such as Anisakis and tapeworm. The inspector found those procedures were not being followed.
The food contact surface violation compounds that risk. Cutting boards, prep surfaces, and other equipment that touch food are required to be cleaned and sanitized between uses. When they are not, bacteria and other contaminants transfer from one food item to the next.
Inspectors also documented that at least one employee had not reported illness symptoms as required, and that the restaurant had no written employee health policy at all. Together, those two violations mean that a sick worker could handle food with no formal mechanism in place to stop it. The inspector further noted improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning that even when workers attempted to wash their hands, the method used was not sufficient to remove pathogens.
The restaurant had no consumer advisory posted to warn customers about the risks of eating raw or undercooked foods. That notice is required specifically to protect elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system. Sewage or wastewater disposal was cited as improper, and equipment was found in poor repair, with cracks and corroded areas that cannot be effectively sanitized.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure is not a paperwork problem. Parasites in fish are killed by freezing at required temperatures for required time periods or by cooking to sufficient internal temperatures. A ramen shop that is not following those procedures is serving fish where parasites may still be alive. Anisakis, found in many ocean fish species, can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and in some cases requires surgical removal from the gastrointestinal tract.
The illness reporting and health policy violations work as a pair. A written policy tells workers exactly which symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and jaundice, require them to stay home or be removed from food handling. Without that policy, the decision is informal. When a worker at Tasty Ramen was found not to have reported illness symptoms, there was no written standard against which to measure the failure.
Improper handwashing technique is frequently underestimated. Studies show that a majority of people who wash their hands do not do so long enough or thoroughly enough to remove dangerous pathogens. A worker who believes they have washed their hands but has used incorrect technique remains a contamination risk at every food contact point for the rest of their shift.
Improper sewage disposal in a food facility means wastewater containing fecal matter can reach surfaces, equipment, or food directly. That is a contamination pathway that can spread pathogens including E. coli and hepatitis A throughout the kitchen.
The Longer Record
The August 2026 inspection was the sixth on record for Tasty Ramen. Across those six inspections, the restaurant has accumulated 54 total violations. It has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern in the records is consistent and does not show improvement. The February 2026 inspection, six months before this one, produced seven high-severity violations and one intermediate. The August 2025 inspection produced the same count: seven high-severity, one intermediate. The March 2025 inspection produced six high-severity violations, matching the August 2026 total. The December 2024 inspection produced four high-severity violations. Only the earliest inspection on record, from March 2024, showed a lower count, at two high-severity violations.
The restaurant has not had a single inspection without at least two high-severity violations. Every inspection since December 2024 has produced at least six. The violations documented in August 2026, including the illness policy failures and parasite destruction problems, are consistent with the categories cited in earlier visits.
Still Open
State inspectors classified six of the eight violations found on August 20 as high-severity. The restaurant had no written policy to keep sick workers away from food. It had no parasite destruction procedures for the fish it serves. Its food contact surfaces were not being properly sanitized.
Tasty Ramen remained open after the inspection.
