Roaches crawling under dining-room seat cushions, flies landing on clean food containers, and a plumbing system with no running water were among the issues that forced state inspectors to shut five restaurants last week.

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.

A note: One of the five closed restaurants, Zinger’s Deli in Boca Raton, was ordered shut on Oct. 25 and reopened Oct. 26, but the state did not make its full inspection report publicly available as of presstime. Check back here over the next few days for the report.

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.)

El Rincon Colombiano Restaurant, Pembroke Pines

12594 Pines Blvd., Suite 105 

Ordered shut: Oct. 27; reopened Oct. 28

Why: 17 violations (one high-priority), including 10 live flies “around mop sink, in front of dry goods storage area,” “on drain under triple sink in kitchen area, not landing on food,” “around handwash sink, next to cooking rice pot in cook line” and “around long chest freezer, outside of kitchen.”

Other issues in the inspection report: a “foam cup stored on soiled surface on storage rack in cook line”; a “soiled microwave in cook line”; a “wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris and/or dust” in an area “in front of restrooms, entrance of kitchen area”; and a “pot of beans, pots of assorted soups inside walk-in cooler” and not covered.

There was also a “substantial buildup of loose food debris and grease” on a “soiled stove in cook line” and on a “storage rack of condiments in cook line,” as well as “several broken floor tiles inside dry goods storage area.”

The state gave the greenlight to reopen El Rincon the next day after spotting one basic and one intermediate violation.

El Coyote Mexican Restaurant, Dania Beach

328 E. Dania Beach Blvd. 

Ordered shut: Oct. 26; reopened Oct. 27

Why: 11 violations (three high-priority), including four cockroaches seen crawling inside an oven and on the floor in the kitchen and “under cushions of bench in dining area.” There were also 13 dead roaches “under booths in dining room away from kitchen,” “behind flat top in kitchen” and “in storage area away from kitchen.”

The state red-flagged that a “faucet next to handwashing sink in kitchen” was missing a valve and a “container of raw chicken” was improperly “stored above container of cut lettuce” in a cooler.

Despite racking up seven violations during a next-day inspection, the Mexican eatery was cleared to reopen.

Boston Market, Hollywood

3249 Hollywood Blvd. 

Ordered shut: three times Oct. 25-27; reopened Oct. 28

Why: 12 violations (five high-priority), including at least 40 flies “in food preparation areas landing on various food items and takeout containers,” as well as “in dishwashing areas landing on clean food containers” and “in service area next (to) ice machine.”

The report also noted nine cockroaches seen crawling “in kitchen next to microwaves and Hobart mixer,” “in preparation area between food prep sink and food storage shelves” and “behind ice machine.” There were also two dead roaches “in dry storage area underneath food storage shelves.”

The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and trash its raw chicken “due to temperature abuse.”

Finally, the state red-flagged issues such as “food items stored on walk-in freezer floor,” “black mold-like substance buildup inside ice machine” and “black mold-like substance buildup on AC vents and ceiling tiles throughout establishment.”

The restaurant chain was shut again on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27, reopening on Oct. 28 after a fourth inspection revealed one basic violation.

Bistro Creole, Sunrise

6130 W. Oakland Park Blvd. 

Ordered shut: Oct. 23; reopened same day

Why: Nine violations (three high-priority), led by “establishment operating with no potable running water” at its kitchen handwashing sink, three-compartment sink and employee restroom.

The inspection noted that the “plumbing system (was) in disrepair,” with water leaking from the triple sink’s drain pipe into a bus pan and a cold water valve that did “not shut off and just spins around.”

An employee was seen “wearing bracelet while engaging in food preparation.” In another instance, an employee drank “from a water bottle then engaged in peeling plantains without washing hands.”

The restaurant was allowed to reopen the same day after inspectors found zero issues. The eatery was previously ordered shut twice in 2021.