A toilet overflowing into a restaurant dining room and sewage rising through floor drains near a cook line were among the violations that forced the state to temporarily close three South Florida restaurants last week.
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.)
BROWARD COUNTY
La Belle Monique Restaurant and Bakery
937 S. State Road 7, Plantation
Ordered shut: Nov. 17
Why: 11 violations (two high-priority), including:
- About seven live roaches “under the glass-door cooler by the front counter,” “on the floor by the large ovens in the kitchen” and “under the front counter flip-top cooler.”
- About three dead roaches “under the glass cooler near the front counter.”
- “Observed raw chicken stored over ready-to-eat vegetables in the walk-in freezer. Neither item was in its commercial packaging.”
- “Observed raw chicken thawing in the triple sink with cold water that was barely running.”
- “Observed standing water by front counter flip-top cooler.”
Status: Reopened Nov. 18 after a reinspection found one intermediate violation. A follow-up inspection was required.
Taqueria La Yaquesita (inside Chevron)
7380 Wiles Road, Coral Springs
Ordered shut: Nov. 18
Why: Two violations (one high-priority), including:
- “Observed sewage backing up through floor drains upon use of sole handwashing sink right of triple sink. Drain is located directly in front of cook line and cannot be isolated from food prep areas.”
- Time/temperature issue involved cooked beans.
Status: Reopened later that same day after a second inspection found no violations.
PALM BEACH COUNTY
Los Dos Hermanos Salvadorian and Mexican Cuisine
1952-1954 S. Congress Ave., Palm Springs
Ordered shut: Nov. 17
Why: 10 violations (four high-priority). including:
- About 12 rodent droppings in kitchen on floor “around/behind reach-in cooler” and “behind cooking equipment.”
- “No functioning restroom available for use; all toilets unable to be flushed due to sewage backup.”
- “Public restroom toilet overflowing onto floor in dining room around pool table, unable to access restrooms without walking through standing water/sewage on ground.”
- “Plastic portioned bag of raw oysters stored over cooked plantains” in reach-in freezer.
- “Oyster tags not marked with last date served.”
- Time/temperature issue involved cooked beef soup.
Status: Reopened Nov. 19 after a follow-up visit found two intermediate and basic violations.