It was a banner shutdown week after Thanksgiving, with state inspectors temporarily closing 11 South Florida restaurants for issues including a rodent rub mark on a kitchen wall, flies on clean utensils and many rodent droppings.
One of those restaurants racked up 183 rodent droppings in spots such as the customer waiting area, on a chair at the front counter and on an open bag of flour.
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.
J’s Kitchen, Deerfield Beach
196 N. Federal Highway
Ordered shut: Nov. 28, Dec. 1, Dec. 2, Dec. 4 and Dec. 5; remains closed
Why: 17 violations (two high-priority), including an avalanche of at least 183 rodent droppings found in spots such as “on pan stored at food prep sink,” “at the entrance to the establishment,” “on floor of customer waiting area,” “on chair by front counter,” “inside spoon hanging on prep table in kitchen,” and on an open “bag of flour on floor in food prep area.”
The inspection noted “evidence of employee smoking in food preparation area, finding an “ash tray with two cigarette butts stored on rack with food utensils by triple sink.”
Finally, there were hood filters, storage racks and reach-in cooler door gaskets “soiled with grease, food debris.”
The restaurant was subsequently ordered shut four more times for the presence of rodent droppings through the kitchen.
P.F. Chang’s, Boca Raton
1400 Glades Road
Ordered shut: Nov. 30; reopened Dec. 1
Why: Five violations (one high-priority) including 48 live flies seen “over cut lettuce, carrots, peppers and cabbage slaw,” as well as “flying around storage shelf with clean pots,” “around trash can in dish area,” “around prep table for takeout orders,” and “around paper towels, cleaning wipe cloths and aprons.”
They were also spotted flying “around clean pans and landing on to-go containers,” “around food inside drain,” and “around tea machine and bowls of cut limes and lemons,” among other areas.
The bistro was allowed to reopen the next day after state inspectors found zero issues.
5th Element Indian Bistro & Bar, Delray Beach
5130 Linton Blvd., Suite E1
Ordered shut: Nov. 30; reopened Dec. 1
Why: 14 violations (seven high-priority), including 15 flies seen “landing on clean cutting boards stored on ware storage shelf behind cook line,” “on bags of onions stored on prep table,” and “on cut melon on buffet line.”
The restaurant was order to stop selling and toss that cut melon “due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition.” It was also ordered to toss its homemade yogurt “due to temperature abuse.”
Finally, inspectors red-flagged a “large pan of homemade yogurt stored on floor” and “fly sticky tape hanging over food/food preparation area/food-contact equipment.”
A next-day reinspection found a single basic violation, and inspectors let the bistro reopen.
Wong’s Takeout Restaurant, Plantation
8237 W. Sunrise Blvd.
Ordered shut: Nov. 29; reopened Nov. 30
Why: Eight violations (three high-priority), including at least 10 rodent droppings spotted “in corner and under shelf in dry storage area across from bathroom to the back of establishment.”
The report noted other issues such as a “bucket of salt stored on floor,” a “cutting board soiled with an accumulation of mold-like substance,” and “floor soiled/has accumulation of debris … throughout establishment behind cooking equipment and tables.”
The restaurant reopened the next day after the state spotted two basic and one intermediate violations.
Happy Wings and Fried Rice, Pompano Beach
1752 Hammondville Road
Ordered shut: Nov. 29 and Nov. 30; reopened Nov. 30
Why: 10 violations (three high-priority), including “approximately 75 rodent droppings on floor throughout kitchen” and a “rodent rub mark on wall behind wire rack containing food storage in kitchen.”
The state also observed an employee’s “open beverage on prep table,” as well as floor and “various shelves throughout establishment soiled,” “wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris and/or dust,” and “reach-in cooler interior/shelves” covered in “soil residues.”
The take-out restaurant was ordered shut Nov. 30 but was allowed to reopen the same day after a third inspection revealed no violations.
Asahi Chinese & Japanese Restaurant, Sunrise
9240 W. Commercial Blvd.
Ordered shut: Nov. 29; reopened Nov. 30
Why: 24 violations (seven high-priority), including three live cockroaches seen “on empty container by dish machine” and “up back side of glass-front cooler in kitchen.”
There were also 13 dead roaches in areas such as “under dish machine,” “on top of dish machine,” “under hand sink at front of kitchen” and “along base of wall to right of dish machine.”
The state observed one employee “on cook line changing gloves between tasks working with raw food items and prepared foods without washing hands first.”
Other issues included: “wall area to left of dish machine has mold-like build-up,” an “uncleanable knife block in use to store knives … at sushi station,” “buckets of soy sauce on floor in kitchen and walk-in cooler,” and “equipment and utensils not washed, rinsed and sanitized in the correct order.”
A next-day inspection uncovered zero issues, clearing the restaurant to reopen.
Living Green, Boca Raton
2202 N. Federal Highway
Ordered shut: Nov. 29; reopened Nov. 30
Why: 11 violations (three high-priority), including about 51 flies “landing on dry food storage shelf,” “flying around case of bananas,” landing on “wall, paper towel and storage shelf with clean plates,” “flying around and landing on wall, open container of ready-to-eat celery,” “and “landing on sneeze guard glass,” among other areas.
The report noted an employee touched “hat with bare hands, put on gloves, (grabbed) croissant to prepare for customer without washing hands.” An employee also was seen to “exit front counter to deliver food to customer, return back to service line, put on gloves and (begin) to prepare food without washing hands.”
Inspectors let the cafe reopen the following day after uncovering zero issues.
La Bamba Mexican & Spanish Restaurant, Delray Beach
4285 W. Atlantic Ave.
Ordered shut: Nov. 27; reopened Nov. 28
Why: Five violations (two high-priority), including three live roaches crawling “behind signs on wall in ware-washing area behind cook line in kitchen.” There was also one dead roach “on drain board from ware-washing machine” in the same area.
The restaurant was allowed to reopen the next day with zero violations.
4 Brothers Italian Restaurant, Delray Beach
7323 W. Atlantic Ave.
Ordered shut: Nov. 27 and Nov. 28; reopened Nov. 28
Why: Six violations (one high-priority), including about 25 live cockroaches “on ground and in wheel under … stove on cook line in kitchen.”
There were likewise six dead roaches “inside of not-in-use flip-top cooler on cook line,” as well as “on top of ware-washing machine in kitchen” and “on shelving holding clean wares.”
Finally, the restaurant was cited for having a kitchen “ceiling tile missing,” soil residues “at pizza line” and “exposed insulation” in refrigerator.
The restaurant was ordered shut again on Nov. 28, but it was cleared to reopen later that day with two basic violations.
Pei Wei Asian Kitchen, Pembroke Pines
11049 Pines Blvd., Suite 424
Ordered shut: Nov. 27; reopened Nov. 28
Why: 14 violations (six high-priority), including 35 live flies “in dining room area landing on soda nozzles,” “on walls in male restroom,” “on clean utensils and table in dishwashing area,” “on clean in-use food preparation table” and “on utensils and prep table at cook line.”
Four roaches were seen “crawling on wall behind cooking equipment at cook line.”
The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and trash its chicken, beef and shrimp “due to temperature abuse.”
Other issues: “black mold-like substance build-up on AC vents and ceiling tiles,” “accumulation of dead flies on fly sticky tape hanging next to ice machine,” “urinal in male restroom in disrepair … unable to flush” and “objectionable odors in male restroom.”
The restaurant had another high-priority violation and three minor ones the next day but was cleared to reopen.
Estação do Pão Bakery & Restaurant, Boca Raton
23269 State Road 7
Ordered shut: Nov. 27; reopened Nov. 28
Why: Nine violations (six high-priority), including 12 live cockroaches found “behind the reach-in freezer in the kitchen,” “under the dish machine,” “under the oven in the bakery kitchen” and “behind the front counter in the dining room.”
The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and trash its roasted peppers with olive oil “due to temperature abuse.”
Personal cellphones and were seen “above the prep table.” There was also a household-grade “spray for roaches over the washing machine,” and “chemical substances” stored over “clean dishes in the washing machine area.”
The state let the restaurant-bakery reopen the next day after finding zero issues. It was previously ordered shut six consecutive times in September and three times in 2022.