State inspections last week found live cockroaches crawling under jugs of oil, more than 100 dead roaches littering a restaurant floor, and rodent droppings under a prep table and a sink — leading to the temporary closure of four South Florida restaurants.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for “high-priority violations,” such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.
Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up. If you spotted a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR. (But please don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
Boca Bagel Bar, Boca Raton
177 SE Mizner Blvd.
Ordered shut: July 11-12; reopened July 13
Why: Three violations (two high-priority), including eight cockroaches spotted crawling “under the front counter cash register” and “at the back door next to the triple sink in the kitchen.” The operator sanitized both areas.
The inspection also red-flagged “raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food,” citing a front-counter display of smoked salmon stored over cooked meats.
The restaurant was ordered closed a second time, on July 12, with one high-priority and one intermediate violation, including unresolved “roach activity.” It reopened the following day after a third inspection found zero issues.
Yakitori Sake House, Boca Raton
271 SE Mizner Blvd.
Ordered shut: July 11; reopened July 12
Why: Four violations (three high-priority), including 12 cockroaches seen crawling around on the floor “at the front entrance to the kitchen from the dining room” and “in the back corner of the kitchen in front of the cook line,” as well as under jugs of oil near the cook line.
The restaurant was also cited for “chicken thighs stored in plastic thank-you bags” in a walk-in cooler, and the operator was ordered to place the chicken inside a food-grade bag.
The sake house reopened on July 12 after inspectors spotted zero issues. The restaurant was previously ordered shut in February for fly woes.
Nikos Greek Kouzina, Tequesta
289 U.S. Route 1
Ordered shut: July 14; reopened July 15
Why: 16 violations (seven high-priority), including two flies spotted swarming “under prep table across from three-compartment sink,” as well as six live cockroaches found in areas such as the dining room and “at cook line by fryers.”
The state also uncovered six rodent droppings under a prep table and a sink, and at least 135 dead cockroaches in various areas of the restaurant, including “at cook line under prep table at gyro station,” “under all cooking equipment at cook line,” “at server’s area and drink fountain outside the kitchen,” and “under the prep table across from three-compartment sink.”
Live and dead roaches were detected “in the manager’s office adjacent to the kitchen.”
Finally, the report cited sanitary issues such as the presence of “black-like mold substance” on the “wall at three-compartment sink and dishwasher” and a “bucket of soup” seen stored on the floor.
The restaurant was allowed to reopen the next day despite a malfunctioning kitchen sink issue. The restaurant was previously ordered shut in April 2022 for rodent problems.
Grandma’s Brooklyn Pizza, Royal Palm Beach
10045 Belvedere Road
Ordered shut: July 14; reopened July 17
Why: 23 violations (three high-priority), including 10 live cockroaches found crawling “in kitchen by cook line,” “behind chest freezer in kitchen,” and “on prep table by cook line.”
The state also spotted “three dead roaches on prep table by cook line in kitchen.”
According to the report, there was one “employee with no hair restraint while engaging in food preparation,” as well as other issues such as “accumulation of lime scale on the inside of the dish machine,” “pizza dough container stored on floor,” “floor tiles missing and/or in disrepair” in the kitchen, and an “open bag of flour on floor by rear door.”
Despite finding 10 issues during the follow-up inspection — including a high-priority violation — the Royal Palm Beach restaurant was allowed to reopen on July 17.