24-04-2025
Roaches in a soap dispenser among worst Miami to Palm Beach restaurant issues
Rodents and rodents and flies on prep tables, in a soap dispenser and on shelves are the dominant species on this week's restaurant inspections list in South Florida.
The 'Sick and Shut Down List' includes restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties that have failed inspections (although none in the Keys this week). The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation does the inspections, so send customer complaints to the agency.
Unless noted, each of the places on the list reopened after passing re-inspection the following day.
In alphabetical order:
Antonio's Pizza, 4551 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Routine inspection, nine total violations, five High Priority violations
The walls' only eyes were the ones on the three roaches crawling in the dishwashing area. Another three roaches were spotted on floors, along with three dead roaches in the kitchen dry storage area.
An 'employee went outside, returned to the work area and started working with cooked, ready-to-eat food and handled a clean plate without removing gloves or washing hands.'
'Nonfood-grade bags used in direct contact with food' as in a cooked sausage and cooked meatballs inside a plastic bag.
Desh Bhoj Home Style Bangladeshi Feast, 1709 Belvedere Rd., West Palm Beach
Routine inspection, five total violations, one High Priority violation
This place needs a Tom because all the Jerrys are leaving rodent droppings on a kitchen prep table (one); on the dining room floor and front counter (five); on a shelf over the prep table, next to food and equipment (six); on top of the pizza oven (six); on the kitchen floor near the three-compartment sink (10); in dry storage closets (20); and on the floor under the stove (20).
The kitchen handwash sink didn't have any soap or paper towels.
Desh waited three days before requesting re-inspection, only to have the inspector find a piece of rodent poop in the dining room and 10 more in the kitchen behind the cookline.
Desh passed the re-re-inspection.
El Centenario, 6376 Forest Hill Blvd., Greenacres
Routine inspection, nine total violations, five High Priority violations
If you have five live roaches crawling on, among other things, cleaned and sanitized dishes, you probably don't have cleaned and sanitized dishes anymore. That could've been assumed, though, with the five dead roaches on the same shelf. Eight other roach corpses were spotted in the restaurant.
The handwash sink water needs to reach at least 85 degrees. Water at 73 degrees, the temperature of an air conditioned room, is not getting it done.
Also not getting it done was the walk-in cooler, or maybe whoever packed the cheese sauce and cooked chorizo. After an overnight in the cooler, they should have been down to 41 degrees, at least, the temperature for proper food safety. Neither got down that far, so both got slammed with Stop Sales and tossed in the garbage.
El Rey de la Medialuna, 3253 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Routine inspection, 10 total violations, two High Priority violations
Employees working with food going to wash their hands would have seen, above the prep area handwash sink, about 15 live roaches inside the soap dispenser and two live roaches inside the hand sanitizer dispenser. A dead roach was in the sink.
Flies clogged the air, as in 50 flies landing on boxes and shelves over the prep table and 15 flies landing on shelves and boxes over other prep tables across from the walk-in cooler. Another 20 flies were landing on boxes in a storage area. Five flies 'hovered' at the front counter. There were 10 flies 'landing on clean wares' on shelves over the three-compartment sink.
The floor under the equipment was 'soiled' with an 'accumulation of debris ... under equipment throughout the establishment.'
On the front counter menus board, the 'wall is soiled with accumulated dust.'
'Flammables stored near a source of ignition ... a gasoline container stored under the three-compartment sink near a water heater.'
No soap at the front counter handwash sink and not-hot-enough water at the prep area handwash sink.
The King remained closed for two days before passing re-inspection.
The Food Republic, 1910 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
Complaint inspection, eight total violations, five High Priority violations
The flies have it.
Eight landed on the reach-in cooler, cutting board and storage shelves above the reach-in. Four were in the dry storage area. In the bar area, about 10 were coming down on the wall and shelves with clean glasses.
An 'employee handled dirty dishes then proceeded to handle clean dishes without changing gloves or washing hands.'
READ MORE: Rodents pooped on pet food shelves at a Fort Lauderdale Family Dollar
Joy Luck Restaurant, 5796 Jog Rd., Unincorporated Palm Beach County
Complaint inspection, eight total violations, five High Priroity violations
Six live roaches on a food prep table and under plastic bins storing bulk sugar. Five live roaches in a refrigerator without food. The dead roaches dotted the floor under the three-compartment sink, another two inside the three-compartment sink, four under the food prep table and two on a shelf under that prep table.
An 'employee handled dirty dishes in the sink and touched the rim of trash can, then, without washing hands, began handling tongs to portion veggies into a pot.' The employee washed his hands while the tongs were sent to be cleaned and sanitized.
Lovely's in the City, 1622 NW 62nd St., Miami
Routine inspection, 13 total violations, three High Priority violations.
The inspector said rodents ran like water at Lovely's, which passed four inspections with 'Met Inspection Standards' between Feb. 29, 2024, and Jan. 10, 2025. We told you about this earlier this week.
READ MORE: Mice on a food prep table helped a Miami restaurant fail inspection
Ostine's Fingers Taste Restaurant, Food Truck, Palm Beach County
Routine inspection, 17 total violations, six High Priority violations
Unsurprisingly for a food truck, there were 30 flies inside, 'flying around, landing on equipment, utensils and unwashed produce' and two flies landing on opened packs of salted fish. When the flies landed on the fish, so did the Stop Sales.
Other fish getting smacked with a Stop Sale were the raw snapper that needed to be kept at or under 41 degrees, but had a bit of a fever (62 degrees).
The handwash sink was pretty useless without soap or any hand drying method.
The cooktop, cutting board and reach-in cooler interiors were 'soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime.'
Sajna Indian Cuisine, 1933 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Complaint inspection, 10 total violations, two High Priority violations
On top, underneath and on the wall behind the dishwashing machine, 30 live roaches did their thing. Another 10 live roaches gathered on the side of the dishwasher. A scorched electrical outlet had tape covering it. Under that tape lived five roaches next to 15 dead roaches. Another 15 live roaches were 'under a milk crate on a cardboard-lined shelf directly next to a cookline flip top cooler.' The control device on the back of that flip top had five live roaches and 10 dead ones.
There were 15 live roaches 'under milk.' Two live roaches were inside the three-compartment sink.
An 'accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris' darkened the inside of the microwave.
Food contact shelves were lined with cardboard, not food grade material.
Titie Restaurant & Lounge, 300 W. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale
Complaint inspection, 19 total violations, four High Priority violations
Rodents left 25 pieces of regularity under a reach-in cooler.
A water heater room roach trap had two live roaches and five dead ones. Six roaches strolled behind a prep area reach-in freezer. There were three live roaches and two dead ones elsewhere.
A handwash sink drained onto the floor in the water heater room.
No way aside from flapping or wiping hands on a shirt to dry hands at the back kitchen handwash sink.
The prep area ceiling vent was 'heavily soiled with dust.
'Excessive amounts of grease and food debris' were behind cookline equipment. 'Excessive amounts of trash and food debris' were behind the reach-in freezers.
