The state temporarily closed six Palm Beach County restaurants last week. Why? Inspectors found violations including about 300 dead flies in “sticky glue traps” at prep line, dead roaches inside a wok and stuck to cutting boards, and an employee serving plantains “with bare hands.”
No Broward County restaurant received emergency closure orders during the same time period.
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 violations such as improper food temperatures or 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, visit myfloridalicense.com. (But please don’t contact us: the Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
Palm Beach County
Excell Restaurant
1041 S. Congress Ave., No. 119, Delray Beach
Ordered shut: July 9
Why: 11 violations (six high-priority), including:
• Nine live roaches “on the wall at kitchen” and at the front line “underneath unused glass-door hot box” and “in cabinet.”
• Five dead roaches “in cabinet at front line.”
• Stop sale ordered for “cooked vegetables with meat” due to “temperature abuse.”
• Other time/temperature issues involved an opened can of tomato sauce, a can of beans, corn and cooked plantains.
• “Cooked pork, cooked turkey, cooked beef, cooked goat at walk-in cooler without date marked.”
• An employee served “plantains with bare hands.”
Status: Reopened July 10 after a follow-up visit found no violations.
Bud’s Chicken & Seafood
2579 Northlake Blvd., North Palm Beach
Ordered shut: July 8
Why: Two violations (one high-priority), including:
• About seven live roaches in kitchen “under prep table on floor,” “on insulated water line to ice machine,” “on back of ice machine” and “on tile wall behind ice machine,” as well as “at drive-thru to-go station … coming out of wall behind steam table.”
• “Floor tiles throughout kitchen area missing grout, with debris and water standing between tiles.”
Status: Reopened later the same day after a reinspection found one basic violation.
Golden Corral Buffet & Grill
10100 Fox Trail Road S., Royal Palm Beach
Ordered shut: July 8
Why: Four violations (three high-priority), including:
• About 15 live flies “in salad prep area on walls,” “on wall near serving utensils at hot buffet area” and “at dessert area landing on walls.”
• Stop sale ordered for “ice cream mix” due to “temperature abuse.”
• “At kitchen, bug zapper over soda boxes.”
Status: Reopened July 9 after a next-day visit found no violations.
Two Drunken Goats Beach Cantina
2509 N. Ocean Ave., Riviera Beach
Ordered shut: July 8
Why: 12 violations (three high-priority), including:
• About 17 live flies “on clean frying pan on dish storage rack,” “on date-marking labels,” “on trash can,” “on prep table with coleslaw being prepared,” “on mop head and wall” and “on cloth on cutting board.”
• About 300 dead flies on four “sticky glue traps hanging above floor at prep line.”
• About three dead roaches “in women’s bathroom in sink vanity” and “at front counter near T-shirt case.”
• One “large dead beetle on top of heat rack” at cook line.
• “Operator using electric fly swatter to kill flies, device not designed to retain insect within device.”
• “Employee moved trash can with hand and after, without washing hands, employee began to mix ingredients into coleslaw.”
• “Men’s bathroom has objectionable odor.”
Status: Reopened July 9 after a follow-up inspection found four basic violations.
Atlantic Sushi Asian Bistro
14812 S. Military Trail, Delray Beach
Ordered shut: July 8
Why: 18 violations (two high-priority), including:
• About 33 live roaches in kitchen at cook line “inside oven” and “inside wok,” and in the warewash area “on floor” and “on cutting board.”
• About 96 dead roaches “on two glue boards monitors inside oven at cook line in kitchen,” “on floor at cook line and under cook line equipment,” “inside wok at cook line,” “stuck to cutting boards at clean utensil storage rack in warewash area,” “on glue boards at sushi counter floor” and “floating in water bucket at cook line.”
• “No time marking” on sushi rice.
• “Accumulation of black mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine.”
• “Interior of two toaster ovens has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris at sushi entrance.”
Status: Reopened July 9 after a reinspection found four intermediate and basic violations. A follow-up inspection was required.
Carmine’s La Trattoria
2401 PGA Blvd., Suite 172, Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: July 8
Why: Eight violations (two high-priority), including:
• About five live roaches crawling in kitchen “on counter top next to hand washing sink” and “in cabinet under hand washing sink,” as well as at cook line “crawling out of wall next to hand washing sink.”
• About three dead roaches at bar “on floor under sink” and in kitchen “on floor under dish storage rack” and “on counter top next to hand washing sink.”
• “Operator storing current supply of oyster tags separated from containers of oysters.”
• “Floor throughout kitchen at cook line missing tile grout, with standing water and debris.”
Status: Reopened July 9 after a next-day visit found two basic violations.