MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Would you eat in a restaurant with nearly 50 violations?
Routine food safety inspections by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation are meant to protect the public, but what inspectors recently found inside several South Florida kitchens was nothing short of alarming.
These were unannounced routine inspections, except for one complaint-based visit in North Miami Beach.
None of the restaurants were immediately ordered shut, but the sheer number of violations — 49, 48, 47, and 31 — is unacceptable.
Follow-up inspections have been ordered for all of them.
CHICKEN HOUSE #4 – 1061 NW 20TH STREET, MIAMI
49 violations – Oct. 14 (Routine, unannounced inspection)
Inspectors documented 49 violations inside Chicken House #4 during a recent visit — one of the highest numbers seen this year.
The inspection report described an accumulation of black and green mold-like substance inside the ice machine, fruit flies buzzing around the prep area, and a Stop Sale issued after multiple foods were found at dangerously warm temperatures. They include cheddar cheese at 50°F, cooked chicken at 49°F, beans at 67°F, and raw beef at 58°F.
An employee told inspectors the food had been sitting there since the night before.
Walls and floors were soiled with grease and debris, and food containers, drink dispenser nozzles, and the ice machine interior were dirty and slimy. Inspectors also discovered food stored outside in a portable cooler trailer that had not been approved by the state.
Employees couldn’t explain proper sanitizing procedures, and the restaurant was operating with an expired license, renewed only after the inspector arrived. No employees had current food safety training.
SMOKI – 1970 NE 153RD STREET, NORTH MIAMI BEACH
48 violations – Sept. 29 (Complaint-based inspection)
A consumer complaint prompted this inspection and inspectors quickly found why.
Live roaches were seen crawling on a prep table and a bathroom wall. Another was found dead on the kitchen floor. The storage areas were dirty and disorganized, with walls coated in grease and dust.
Inspectors found medicine bottles stored on food prep shelves, and watched an employee handle smoked salmon with bare hands without washing. The restaurant had no approved plan allowing bare-hand contact.
A Stop Sale was issued when onions were found wrapped in a non–food-grade towel, and additional Stop Sales were issued for vacuum-sealed salmon, tuna, and cream cheese made in-house without state approval. The establishment was also smoking fish without a required process variance -- a repeat violation.
Food-contact surfaces and containers were rusted and soiled, and knives were stored on a dirty magnet strip. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for having no certified food manager and no consumer advisory for raw salmon and tuna listed on its menu.
EL CHURRASCASO BRAZILIAN GRILL – 20505 S. DIXIE HIGHWAY, CUTLER BAY
47 violations – Oct. 13 (Routine, unannounced inspection)
Inside Southland Mall, El Churrascaso Brazilian Grill tallied 47 violations during a routine visit.
Inspectors found rodent droppings on top of syrup containers and about 20 live flying insects in the dry storage, mop sink, and dishwashing areas. Two cans of Raid insecticide labeled for household use were stored above food prep tables.
A Stop Sale was issued for cut tomatoes, feta cheese, kale, and shrimp held at unsafe temperatures.
The ice machine, orange juice press, can opener, and soda nozzles were coated in slime and debris, and the oven interior was black with grease. Ceilings, vents, and walls throughout the kitchen were covered with dust and mold-like buildup.
Inspectors noted a knife and sharpening tools stored on a dirty shelf, a slow-draining handwash sink, and no soap available for employees. One worker was prepping food with no hair restraint.
EL PLATONEEKA – 18304 SW 147TH AVENUE, WEST KENDALL
31 violations – Oct. 13 (Routine, unannounced inspection)
In West Kendall, El Platoneeka was written up for 31 violations during its routine inspection.
Mold was found in the ice machine and soda dispenser, and food containers were cracked or broken. Inspectors observed raw chicken stored above raw pork in the walk-in cooler.
Employees were repeatedly seen failing to wash hands — one coughed and continued working, another drank from a bottle, and another reentered the kitchen from outside without washing at all.
The kitchen’s hand wash sink was not working, and there was no soap available anywhere.
Inspectors also documented employee personal items on prep tables, uncovered food, and no proof of required food safety training. One employee washed and rinsed cookware without sanitizing it before reuse.
The inspection pointed to serious lapses in management oversight and basic hygiene.
BOTTOM LINE
Restaurants should strive for zero violations, not 49, 48, 47, or even 31.
These aren’t paperwork issues -- they’re problems that can make customers sick. Mold in ice machines, unsafe food temperatures, insects, and employees not washing hands are clear signs of neglect and poor management.
All four restaurants now face follow-up inspections, but the question remains: Would you eat in a restaurant with this many violations?
When management allows conditions like these, it says something about their priorities, and it’s not the safety of their customers.
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