Live roaches under a rice bin, a pair of wild birds strutting around a dining room and live and dead rodents in a kitchen were among the violations that forced state inspectors to temporarily shut seven South Florida restaurants last week.
One of those restaurants, The Breakfast Shack in Boynton Beach, is a recent repeat offender, having been ordered shut three times earlier this January.
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.)
The Breakfast Shack, Boynton Beach
3469 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Suite 1
Ordered shut: Jan. 18; remained closed as of Jan. 22
Why: Two violations (one high-priority), including 10 live cockroaches seen “on ground behind chest freezer,” “behind fire alarm pole/tag directly next to triple sink in kitchen” and “on underside and inside wheel of cook line flip-top cooler in kitchen.”
There were also 12 dead roaches “on ground behind chest freezer” and “in corner of kitchen next to prep table holding dry storage food items.”
The restaurant remained closed as of Jan. 22 pending a follow-up inspection. The diner was previously ordered shut three times earlier this January.
Johnny Longboats, Riviera Beach
2401 N. Ocean Ave.
Ordered shut: Jan. 18 and Jan. 19; reopened Jan. 19
Why: 13 violations (three high-priority), including “two wild birds walking around establishment,” specifically around the dining room area of the beachfront restaurant.
Meanwhile, there were three roaches spotted “climbing on wall near prep table” in the rear prep area, as well as eight dead roaches “on floor near ice machine and beer canisters.”
The inspection caught an employee storing a personal “jacket and bag over dry goods at storage area” and an “employee open water bottle on prep counter.” The report also noted that the ice machine’s interior had a “black mold-like substance.”
The state shut the restaurant a second time on Jan. 19, but let it reopen after a third inspection yielded zero violations.
Los Catrachos Restaurant, West Palm Beach
4654 Gun Club Road, No. 1
Ordered shut: Jan. 17; reopened Jan. 18
Why: Seven violations (three high-priority), including seven cockroaches seen crawling “under prep table near hand sink” and “under rice bin between prep table and white chest freezer in the kitchen.”
There were also “two dead roaches on shelf in the kitchen.”
The state also red-flagged that a handwashing sink was being “used for purposes other than handwashing,” such as “dumping ice.”
Although the state dinged the restaurant for two violations (high-priority and basic) during a second inspection on Jan. 18, it was allowed to reopen.
Jax Bistro and Bar, Boynton Beach
10817 Jog Road, Suite 246
Ordered shut: twice on Jan. 17, reopened Jan. 18
Why: Nine violations (four high-priority), including five flies “hovering and landing under handwash sink at front line deli counter directly next to kitchen.”
There were also 14 live cockroaches found crawling under a “flip-top cooler on cook line in kitchen,” as well as on wall and ground “in front-line deli counter directly next to kitchen.”
An employee was seen “handling cell phone with gloved hands then (proceeding) to handle clean utensils, interior of bags without changing gloves.”
Finally, the state noted “water draining from pipe onto floor surface under ware washing machine.”
The state shut Jax again during a second same-day inspection, but cleared it to reopen on Jan. 18 despite finding three basic and intermediate violations.
J’s Kitchen, Deerfield Beach
196 N. Federal Highway
Ordered shut: Jan. 16 and Jan. 17; reopened Jan. 18
Why: 11 violations (two high-priority), including at least 106 rodent droppings spotted in areas such as “on shelf at the cook line,” “on floor in front of cook line,” “on reach-in freezer door in kitchen,” “on shelf with single-serve lids,” “next to rice cooker” and “in ware-washing area.”
The report also noted that the floor had an “accumulation of debris underneath cook line in the kitchen,” an “in-use knife” was stored in “cracks between reach-in cooler and food prep table,” and a cutting board was “soiled with food debris.”
The state ordered the kitchen shut a second time the next day, but let it reopen on Jan. 18 despite finding six basic and intermediate violations during the third inspection.
The restaurant was previously ordered shut six times in April and December 2023 for rodent droppings and temperature-tainted food.
Top Notch Deli and Catering, West Park
5712 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd.
Ordered shut: Jan. 16; reopened Jan. 17
Why: 13 violations (four high-priority), including “1 live rodent in storage area entrance of kitchen” and “1 dead rodent under prep table in kitchen.”
Also spotted: 10 rodent droppings “on shelf next to storage area at kitchen entrance” and “on shelves next to hand washing sink away from kitchen.”
The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and trash its cooked chicken, cooked rice and cooked goat “due to temperature abuse.”
Finally, the state found “water leaking from pipe” at the kitchen’s hand washing sink, four ceiling tiles at “front counter in disrepair” and a “screen in window torn/in poor repair” with “vermin present.”
The deli reopened the next day after state inspections discovered three basic violations.
Chez Nous American Haitian Restaurant, Miramar
3056 S. State Road 7, Bay 38
Ordered shut: Jan. 16; reopened Jan. 17
Why: Nine violations (four high-priority), including nine live cockroaches in the kitchen — under a “small chest freezer,” behind the double doors of a reach-in cooler and in front of a double-door freezer.
The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and toss its cooked pasta “due to temperature abuse.”
The next day’s inspection report had four intermediate and basic violations, but the restaurant was allowed to reopen.
