At five South Florida restaurants temporarily shut by the state last week, violations ranged from 50 rodent droppings in a kitchen to 14 live roaches to “no potable running water.”
The 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 spot 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.)
PALM BEACH COUNTY
MV Take Out Restaurant
386 SE Second Ave., Unit C, Delray Beach
Ordered shut: Sept. 25
Why: Eight violations (three high-priority), including:
- About 50 rodent droppings in kitchen “in spices storage container” and on “shelf underneath prep table.”
- Two live roaches in kitchen “on the floor by the steam table” and “underneath microwave.”
- Eight dead roaches in kitchen underneath shelves and microwave and “in storage room in AC unit.”
- “Raw shell eggs [stored] above cooked chicken.”
Status: Reopened Sept. 26 after a follow-up visit found no violations.
Kanto Asian Street Food
720 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach
Ordered shut: Sept. 25
Why: Eight violations (one high-priority), including:
- About eight live roaches in kitchen “on wall behind reach-in cooler next to back … exit door” and “in between wall and baseboard behind clean dishware rack,” “on clean dishware stored on dishware rack,” “on floor in front of flip-top cooler” and “on wall above triple sink.”
- “Observed cooked pork, prepared onsite, stored inside freezer without date marking.”
- “Observed employee drink stored inside reach-in freezer in kitchen.”
Status: Reopened Sept. 26 after a second inspection found no violations.
Sabor Latino
1500 Gateway Blvd., Suite 100, Boynton Beach
Ordered shut: Sept. 24
Why: Five violations (four high-priority), including:
- Six live roaches on the floor “at cook line, in front of grill and steam table” and “in front of ice machine.”
- Stop sale ordered for white rice due to time/temperature issue.
- “Wood morsel used for plantains, grooved with food debris stuck inside, on cook line. Not cleanable.”
Status: Reopened later that same day after a follow-up inspection found no violations.
BROWARD COUNTY
Toa Toa Chinese Restaurant
4145 NW 88th Ave., Sunrise
Ordered shut: Sept. 23
Why: Five violations (three high-priority), including:
- Five live flies “in men’s bathroom” and “in expo area.”
- “Establishment operating with no potable running water.”
- “Observed operator handling pork inside food container. Operator unable to wash hands due to no potable water in establishment.”
Status: Reopened Sept. 25 after a reinspection found no violations.
Fresh & Wild Fish Restaurant
838 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd., Hallandale Beach
Ordered shut: Sept. 24
Why: Seven violations (three high-priority), including:
- About 14 live roaches in kitchen “under prep table” and “under prep table next to employees’ handwashing sink in prep area,” “under Pepsi glass reach-in cooler in preparation area” and “under shelf next to kitchen.”
- About 7 live flies “landing on wall next to employees’ handwashing sink in preparation area next to kitchen.”
- “Raw fish wraps with plastic stored above containers of ginger and cucumbers in Turbo Air lowboy reach-in cooler.”
- Gallon of milk not properly date marked.
Status: Reopened Sept. 25 after a second visit found one intermediate violation. A follow-up inspection was required. A third visit found no violations on Sept. 30.