An employee using bleach for handwashing, roaches inside a can opener and floors covered in standing water were among the violations that closed eight South Florida restaurants temporarily last week.
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.
Healthy Delights Cafe, Coral Springs
5781 Coral Ridge Drive
Ordered shut: Nov. 4; reopened Nov. 6
Why: A single high-priority violation of five cockroaches crawling around the dining room in areas such as on a counter, “under the lettuce cooler behind the front make line” and “inside the wheel on the middle make table.”
The cafe was cleared to reopen two days later when inspectors found no new issues.
Juicery Rx, Coral Springs
5910 Coral Ridge Drive
Ordered shut: Nov. 3 and Nov. 4; reopened Nov. 6
Why: Two violations (one high-priority), including about 40 live flies around the kitchen — “at the mop sink,” “landing on shelving for single-service items,” “landing on the wall behind the juicer” and “on the wall behind the front counter over the smoothie machines and condiments.”
The restaurant was forced to stay closed when a next-day inspection noted the presence of live flies, but it was able to reopen Nov. 6 after a single intermediate violation was found.
Lucky Cat Street Eatery, Fort Lauderdale
6322 N. Andrews Ave.
Ordered shut: Nov. 2; reopened Nov. 3
Why: Two violations (one high-priority), including about nine cockroaches seen crawling around the cook line in the kitchen — “on the wall behind the prep table” and “under the flip-top coolers.”
The report also red-flagged that in a “bin of sushi rice, a pint-sized container was used to dispense food.”
A second inspection one day later found zero issues and cleared the Asian restaurant to reopen.
Saveur Tropical Restaurant, Pompano Beach
515 NE 24th St.
Ordered shut: Oct. 31 and Nov. 1; reopened Nov. 2
Why: 26 violations (six high-priority), including 17 live cockroaches crawling “under clean utensil storage rack by triple sink” and “on floor by chest freezer in dry storage area,” as well as “on food prep table in kitchen” and “inside can opener” on the table.
There were also three dead cockroaches “on floor in food prep in front of reach-in cooler” and “on floor in walk-in cooler.”
The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and trash its cut lettuce and tomato, pikliz (Haitian condiment) and tostones “due to temperature abuse.”
The report had several violations involving employees:
- washing hands with no soap, “dipping hands in a bucket of bleach and water, drying with paper towels, and returning to food prep.”
- collecting money from customer wearing gloves” then “packaging customer to-go plates without” washing their hands.”
- “prepping food at a soiled triple sink filled with soiled dishes.”
- opening a personal “beverage container in a cold holding unit with food to be served to customers.”
Finally, the state uncovered multiple sanitation issues such as “floor area covered with standing water” beneath the kitchen handwashing sink, “floor soiled under cook line,” kitchen “floor tiles in disrepair” and a hole in a wall “at the front counter.”
The state shut down the eatery again on Nov. 1 for unresolved roach activity, but let the restaurant reopen on Nov. 2 when zero new issues were discovered.
Bahama Breeze, Pembroke Pines
11000 Pines Blvd.
Ordered shut: Nov. 1; reopened Nov. 2
Why: 12 violations (three high-priority), including about 10 flies “landing on clean food containers and utensils in dishwashing area,” as well as 38 rodent droppings “on ice machine ledges,” “in dishwashing area,” “in food preparation area between walk-in cooler and ice machine,” “underneath cooking equipment” and under “three-compartment sink in bar area.”
The inspection also noted sanitation issues such as “black mold-like substances buildup inside ice machine,” “floor at front line cook area covered with standing water” and “heavy grease buildup underneath cooking equipment at front cook line areas.”
The chain restaurant was allowed to reopen the next day with zero violations.
Pokeman, Plantation
1949 N. Pine Island Road
Ordered shut: Oct. 31 and Nov. 1; reopened Nov. 1
Why: 15 violations (six high-priority), including seven cockroaches seen crawling “between reach-in cooler and green lowboy with microwave,” “under salad preparation table cooler,” “under counter across from flip-top cooler at front counter” and “in wall in office area.”
There were also about 21 dead roaches “in hand wash sink across from reach-in cooler,” “in walkway at front counter,” “on prep table containing cooking equipment,” “on floor between tables across from walk-in cooler,” “on floor in office area,” and “under three-compartment sink.”
About four flies were seen “landing on hand towel at hand wash sink at front counter,” “flying around mop area next to office” and “landing on dirty utensils in three-compartment sink.”
The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and toss its imitation crab, shrimp, eel, eggs, pork strips, fish eggs, cooked mushrooms and chicken “due to temperature abuse.”
The restaurant was ordered shut the next day with continued roach and fly woes, but was cleared to reopen that same day after a third inspection found one intermediate violation.
Pizza Ricca, Boca Raton
2001 NW Second Ave., Unit B
Ordered shut: Nov. 1; reopened same day
Why: Three violations (one high-priority), including about 44 flies “landing on clean service utensil, plastic containers on storage shelf,” “landing on mop sink,” “flying around trash can underneath hand washing sink” and “landing on closed containers of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce and Franks RedHot hot sauce.”
Flies were also seen “landing on squeeze bottles of hot sauce, soiled wiping cloth, singer-service parchment paper” and “flying over pizza prep.”
Finally, the state spotted “three fly traps with dead flies hanging from ceiling above three-compartment sink.”
The restaurant was allowed to reopen the same day after a second inspection found zero issues.
Oriental Food Market and Take-Out, West Palm Beach
4919 S. Dixie Highway
Ordered shut: Oct. 31; reopened Nov. 3
Why: 14 violations (seven high-priority), including “three rodent droppings under flat top grill” and “approximately 20 dead roaches throughout the kitchen floor under flat top grill, back door, behind refrigerator.”
The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and throw out its cooked rice, cooked chicken, butter, cooked pepper, chicken soup and rehydrated noodles “due to temperature abuse.”
The takeout restaurant was cleared to reopen on Nov. 3 after a follow-up inspection yielded no violations.