WEST PALM BEACH, FL. Havana at 6803 S Dixie Highway racked up eight high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, including sourcing food from unapproved or unknown suppliers, failing to cook food to required minimum temperatures, and storing toxic chemicals improperly near food prep areas. No other facility inspected in West Palm Beach during the week of July 31 through August 6, 2026, came close to that violation count.
Ten restaurants across the city drew high-severity citations during the same seven-day stretch, with violations ranging from absent employee illness policies to inadequate handwashing infrastructure.
What Inspectors Found on South Dixie
The Havana inspection found no written employee health policy and documented that at least one employee was not reporting illness symptoms, a combination that inspectors treat as a direct disease transmission risk. The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a standard disclosure required when a menu includes items served below fully cooked temperatures.
Just a mile north on the same corridor, Sushi Jo at 6200 S Dixie Highway drew six high-severity violations. Inspectors found that the person in charge was not present or not performing required duties, that an employee was not reporting illness symptoms, and that handwashing facilities were inadequate. Two separate handwashing violations were cited: inadequate facilities and improper technique. Sushi Jo, like Havana, also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a notable gap for a sushi restaurant where raw fish is a core menu item.
Clematis Street and Belvedere
Three facilities on or near Clematis Street, the city's main entertainment corridor, also drew high-severity citations during the week.
Rocco's Tacos and Tequila Bar at 224 Clematis Street logged five high-severity violations. The inspection found no person in charge present or performing duties, no written employee health policy, improperly cleaned or sanitized food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. Multi-use utensils were also cited as not properly cleaned, an intermediate violation.
Subculture Coffee at 509 Clematis Street drew one high-severity violation, for improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals, along with two intermediate citations covering multi-use utensils and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
Nico's Pizza at 340 Clematis Street was cited for improperly cleaned or sanitized food contact surfaces, a high-severity violation, and for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, an intermediate finding.
On Belvedere Road, Ell Ideal at 934 Belvedere Road received four high-severity citations. Inspectors found no employee health policy, documented that an employee was not reporting illness symptoms, identified food from an unapproved or unknown source, and cited food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Single-use items were also flagged as being improperly reused.
The Canopy, Avocado Grill, and Field of Greens
The Trinity Place hotel complex produced two separate inspection records. West Palm Beach Canopy at 380 Trinity Place drew four high-severity violations: no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. The rooftop restaurant in the same building was inspected separately.
West Palm Beach Canopy Rooftop Restaurant, also at 380 Trinity Place, received two high-severity violations: food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Multi-use utensils were also cited.
Avocado Grill at 125 Datura Street was cited for improper handwashing technique and improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals. An intermediate ventilation violation was also noted.
Field of Greens at 250 S Australian Avenue drew two high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique and food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated.
What These Violations Mean
The cluster of employee illness reporting failures at Havana, Ell Ideal, Sushi Jo, and West Palm Beach Canopy represents one of the most acute public health risks in this week's data. When food workers do not report symptoms of illness, and when no written health policy exists to require them to do so, sick employees continue handling food. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through this exact route. A single ill worker without reporting requirements can expose dozens of customers before anyone connects the illness to a meal.
The unapproved food source violations at Havana and Ell Ideal carry a different but equally serious risk. Food that bypasses USDA and FDA inspection channels cannot be traced if customers become ill. If a batch of shellfish or poultry is contaminated, inspectors have no record to pull, no distributor to contact, and no way to determine how many other restaurants received the same product. The inadequate shellfish identification records at Havana and Sushi Jo compound this problem specifically for raw shellfish, which are consumed with no kill step for pathogens.
The undercooking violations at Havana and Ell Ideal are direct pathogen survival failures. Salmonella in poultry, for example, is destroyed at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Food pulled from heat before reaching that threshold can reach a customer's plate carrying a live bacterial load.
Improperly stored toxic chemicals, cited at Havana, Rocco's Tacos, Subculture Coffee, and Avocado Grill, represent a contamination risk that is immediate rather than cumulative. Cleaning products stored near or above food prep surfaces can contaminate food directly, and mislabeled chemicals can be mistaken for food-safe products. Acute chemical poisoning from restaurant contamination events, while less common than bacterial illness, produces faster and more severe symptoms.
The Longer Record
Avocado Grill on Datura Street has 34 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility in this week's data, and still drew two high-severity violations. Havana has 30 prior inspections and produced the week's worst single-facility result, eight high-severity citations. Ell Ideal has 29 prior inspections and was cited for four high-severity violations including unapproved food sourcing and undercooking. These are not new restaurants still finding their footing.
Nico's Pizza has 23 prior inspections and Subculture Coffee has 24. Both drew high-severity citations this week despite years of regulatory contact. Rocco's Tacos, with 22 inspections on record, was cited for five high-severity violations including absent management oversight and improper chemical storage.
West Palm Beach Canopy and its rooftop restaurant have 16 and 15 prior inspections respectively, relatively shorter histories that nevertheless already include this week's management, handwashing, and food surface failures.
The newest facility in the group is Field of Greens, with only three prior inspections on record. Its citation for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated stands out precisely because it is one of the more serious food quality violations and arrived early in the facility's inspection history.
Sushi Jo, with nine prior inspections, is also relatively new to the record. It drew six high-severity violations this week, including inadequate handwashing infrastructure, which is a facility condition rather than a one-time lapse and requires physical correction, not just a policy change.
Whether the two Canopy locations at 380 Trinity Place share kitchen staff, management, or food sourcing was not indicated in the inspection records.
