Roach infestation forces closure of Mexican restaurant in Pembroke Pines
A Mexican restaurant in west Pembroke Pines is welcoming back customers after it was forced to close for housing dozens of dead and live roaches, according to inspectors.
Las Cazuelas — 18279 Pines Blvd. — raked in 10 total violations, including three high-priority offenses that the Department of Business and Professional Regulation considers able to “contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury,” during a March 4 assessment that required the department to temporarily shut its doors.
The restaurant boasts 4.8 stars on Google and over 500 reviews.
According to DBPR, the division only doles out emergency closures when an establishment’s violations “pose an elevated risk to the health, safety or welfare of the public or the establishment’s employees.”
Inspectors visited the restaurant — which serves traditional Mexican dishes such as molcajete mixto and quesabirria — as part of a routine assessment.
They found “approximately 20 dead roaches” inside lowboy cooler traps, six live roaches inside another lowboy cooler on the cook line, and one live roach crawling near a hand wash sink and dish machine when they arrived, according to the report.
Inspectors also noted a container of pico de gallo stored above 41 degrees — the cold-holding temperature that prevents bacteria growth and keeps food safe to eat — for over four hours and stopped the sale of the dish.
Fresh garlic in oil and guacamole were also kept in too-warm temperatures, with the former stored out of temperature for 10 minutes and the latter for three hours.
Both were placed inside a cooler for a “quick chill” by the operator following several warnings.
Though less severe infractions, the Mexican eatery was also cited for not having food thermometers on site or stocking paper towels and hand soap at kitchen hand sinks.
Inspectors did not note any infractions during a follow-up inspection the next day and allowed Las Cazuelas to reopen on March 5.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 2:19 PM.
