Miami’s Ichimi ramen restaurant, 118 Buena Vista Blvd. aka 3251 NE First Ave., in Midtown.
David J. Neal
dneal@miamiherald.com
Too many rodents, too much filth and too little sanitizer led inspectors to shut down a Miami ramen restaurant for a couple of days last week.
Ichimi, 118 Buena Vista Blvd. in Midtown, passed a second re-inspection Friday to get open for the weekend rush.
This Ichimi location had a similar inspection in 2024, when the restaurant became rodent real estate. Last December at the Ichimi in Coral Gables, an inspector counted 500 pieces of roach excrement.
READ MORE: Rodents made a living space inside a Miami restaurant under $1 million Midtown condos
Wednesday’s routine inspection in Midtown turned up 23 total violations, three of which were high priority violations.
Here’s what inspectors found:
“Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”
Ichmi was cited for having a “hole in or other damage to wall … .by storage and the hallway bathroom wall.” That’s a violation because it can be a red carpet for things that leave “18 rodent droppings in single service storage by the bathrooms’ hallway.”
Another 15 droppings were behind one freezer in the storage area, 10 behind a freezer next to a walk-in cooler. The alcohol storage room had 10 pieces of poop.
Despite all that, workers stored soy sauce and cooking oil on the floor by the dishwashing area.
As for the dishwasher, its sanitizer measured zero parts per million. There was “no chlorine chemical test kit provided when using the sanitizer at the three-compartment sink, warewashing machine or wiping cloths.”
Standing water collected under the triple sink and a reach-in cooler.
The ceiling and vents in the kitchen and prep area were “soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance.”
A handwash sink by the cookline had been removed. “Plumbing pipes under the handwash sink were missing at the front counter.”
During Thursday’s re-inspection, the rodentsdropped in the same places: eight droppings under the single service storage; six by the alcohol storage room; five behind the freezers next to the back door exit; four behind the freezer next to the walk-in; and five under the three-compartment sink.
Miami’s Ichimi ramen restaurant, 118 Buena Vista Blvd. aka 3251 NE First Ave., in Midtown. David J. Neal dneal@miamiherald.com
Miami Herald
Since 1989, David J. Neal’s domain at the Miami Herald has expanded to include writing about Panthers (NHL and FIU), Dolphins, old school animation, food safety, fraud, naughty lawyers, bad doctors and all manner of breaking news. He drinks coladas whole. He does not work Indianapolis 500 Race Day.