Four Pembroke Pines restaurants hit with high-priority violations, inspectors say
Pembroke Pines foodies — it’s spring cleaning time for Florida’s restaurant inspectors.
Want to know how your favorite haunts fared in last month’s round of assessments?
Four restaurants accumulated the highest number of high-priority violations during March’s inspections, according to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Five earned squeaky-clean, infraction-free results from inspectors.
Those that missed the mark include a Miami-based Latin chain, a family-owned pizzeria, a Colombian eatery and a Haitian spot famous for its TV show feature.
Most were categorized under “Follow Up Inspection Required,” meaning they didn’t pass their inspection, but weren’t considered enough of a threat to customers to shut down. One passed the department’s standard from the get-go.
High-priority violations include any practices that “could contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury,” according to DBPR. This covers live flying insects, improper sanitation techniques, contamination of raw food with cooked food and other offenses that bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria thrive on.
Eateries with spotless records had no critical or noncritical issues and met the state’s standards during their reviews.
Here are the restaurants that underperformed during their March 2026 inspections:
Sergio’s Restaurant, 13620 Pines Blvd.
Routine inspection, nine total violations, five high-priority violations
Inspectors spotted a worker at this family-owned Latin chain crack raw eggs before handling kitchen tools and a customer’s to-go order without washing their hands.
That landed the Sergio’s manager a lecture on proper hand washing procedures, leading the employee to switch to clean gloves, noted DBPR.
A Miami-based Cuban cuisine staple since 1975, Sergio’s has 14 locations across South Florida, with the Pembroke Pines restaurant raking in a 4.3 rating and over 3,000 reviews on Google.
Several foods were also kept above their “holding temperatures,” which prevent bacteria growth and keep food safe to eat, including raw eggs, potato salad and ham croquetas.
The restaurant’s operator added ice to a reach-in cooler to quickly chill the eggs, but inspectors stopped the sale of any meals that included the latter two.
Two dishmachines DBPR claimed were “not properly sanitizing” — located in the bar and kitchen — read that they had no active chlorine and were replace with a temporary, manual washing station.
Inspectors also noted an “accumulation of black/green mold-like substance” — a less severe infraction, per the department — inside of an ice machine.
When DBPR visited Sergio’s 11 days later for a follow-up assessment, the restaurant received no citations.
DoughBoy’s Pizzeria, 292 NW 172nd Ave.
Routine inspection, 11 total violations, four high-priority violations
“Hand tossed” took on literal meaning at this Italian eatery inspectors cited when they spotted the operator preparing a salad with their bare hands.
Per DBPR, DoughBoy’s “has no approved Alternative Operating Procedure” for the dish.
Another worker was seen handling their cellphone with single-serve gloves on before preparing a food order without putting on new gloves, the restaurant’s report says.
Other high priority violations included breaded chicken and tomato sauce kept in too-chilled temperatures and the pizzeria operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license.
DoughBoy’s racked up its fair share of less severe infractions as well, noted DBPR.
Food debris soiled the restaurant’s walls, freezer gaskets, a microwave and even a cook, who inspectors cited for “wearing (a) T-shirt soiled with food debris.”
DBPR also found a “black, mold-like substance” lining the eatery’s soda dispenser and its ice chute.
Despite the infractions, DoughBoy’s passed the department’s assessment and was found to have “met inspection standards.”
El Colombiano, 12594 Pines Blvd.
Routine inspection, 13 total violations, four high-priority violations
This Colombian restaurant was missing several kitchen staples when inspectors dropped in, including soap or paper towels at employees’ handwashing sinks, a chemical test kit to assess dish sanitizer strength, and a probe food thermometer.
DBPR also noticed a “black mold-like substance” inside the kitchen’s ice machine and a container of cooked vegetables improperly stored on the floor.
Higher grade violations included temperature infractions, such as chilled chicharrones left in warm temperatures for over two hours.
A hot box holding beef empanadas and sausage links had also cooled off for too long, prompting DBPR to have restaurant management reheat the foods.
Inspectors also flagged El Colombiano for serving customers with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license and expired food manager certification.
The Latin eatery’s next inspection, needed to meet DBPR’s standards, hasn’t happened as of April 1.
Kasa Champet Restaurant & Lounge, 7920 Pines Blvd.
Routine inspection, nine total violations, four high-priority violations
Inspectors spotted an operator washing dishes and failing to sanitize them properly at this Haitian spot, which hosted famed restaurateur Guy Fieri for a segment of his TV show, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” in 2021.
The employee set up a triple sink washing station with active sanitizer after being corrected, DBPR noted.
Several foods meant to be chilled — raw fish, cooked turkey and cooked goat — were kept above cold holding temperatures before being stashed in a cooler.
Despite the quick chill, inspectors stopped the sale of any meals containing the fish or turkey.
Similarly, fried chicken and fried turkey meant to be kept at or above 135 degrees — hot holding temperatures — weren’t and had to be reheated.
Kasa Champet’s less severe violations? There were no paper towels for handwashing and no probe food thermometer on site, several foods stored in a cooler were without a lid, and several fresh-squeezed juices lacked proper labels.
The Haitian restaurant’s follow-up inspection the next day saw it receive no violations and meet DBPR’s standard.
Infraction-free restaurants
Here are the restaurants that aced their March 2026 inspections:
- Aunt I’s Jamaican Restaurant, 10111 Pines Blvd.
- Arby’s, 11755 Pines Blvd.
- Emack & Bolio’s Ice Cream, 10350 Pines Blvd.
- Nine Five Pho, 14928 Pines Blvd.
- Savor Pembroke Pines City Center, 601 City Center Way
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 3:50 PM.
