'At Least' 38 Roaches Found in Popular Restaurant Havana Harry's
A popular Florida restaurant was shut down earlier this week after "at least" 38 roaches were found in the kitchen.
Havana Harry’s serves “Cuban American fusion” fare and boasts that the 2024 Michelin guide included it among the Best Cuban Restaurants in Miami. However, on June 16, the restaurant was shut down after a customer complaint brought an inspector to there restaurant where 13 total violations, two of which were high priority, were found.
According to a report from the Miami Herald, at least 38 roaches were found.
"The two largest roach counts on the inspection weren’t exact: over 15 roaches coming from inside a broken wall post in the middle of the kitchen, next to a breakfast/sandwich making area; and over 10 live roaches on a wall and electrical area behind reach-in cooler and freezers," the Miami Herald noted. "Elsewhere, seven roaches were seen 'coming from behind a metal wall at the cookline next to the gas stove.' Another three roaches were 'coming from the wall where the electric box outlet is connect at the to-go order prep area.'"
The restaurant was closed down for just one day before later passing inspection.
Three dead roaches were found in the restaurant with one appearing on an electric line behind the ice machine where a live roach was also spotted. According to the incident report, the cookline exit door to the outside had a gap, potentially hindering Havana Harry’s ability to keep out vermin.
Among the other issues in the restaurant was an uncovered box of lettuce on a storage shelf, cookline floors “soiled with an accumulation of debris” and a storage shelf at a prep cooler across from the cookline was “soiled with old grease and food residue.”
The report also noted "clean drinking glasses were stored next to the handwash sink” meaning they were clean dishes “exposed to splash” contamination.
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