Seven Coral Springs restaurants hit with high-priority violations, inspectors say
Coral Springs diners may be in for a surprise with the results of March’s restaurant inspections, with hubs such as Lefty’s Tavern and Grille, Tulum Mexican Cuisine and Country Kitchen receiving less-than-ideal evaluations from Florida’s food safety officials.
From flying insects to black mold, dirty hands and other violations, these are the restaurants with the worst marks this month.
Restaurants that required follow-up inspections
Taco Real
- Address: 10315 W. Sample Road
- Inspection date: March 2
- Total violations: 7 (two high priority)
- What went wrong: According to public records, Taco Real is operating with an expired license. Inspectors also noted eggs stored over ready-to-eat sauces and cheeses in the restaurant’s walk-in cooler, which the manager on duty did not correct. Other issues pertained to improper sanitizer procedures and storage.
Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant
- Address: 2145 University Drive
- Inspection date: March 3
- Total violations: 13 (three high priority)
- What went wrong: Inspectors observed raw beef kidney stored over cut vegetables in the restaurant’s walk-in cooler and issued a stop sale order for oxtail gravy that had been stored at an improper temperature, both of which increase foodborne illness risk. Records also indicate issues with handwashing sink access and safe carbon dioxide tank storage.
Lefty’s Tavern and Grille
- Address: 5771 Coral Ridge Drive
- Inspection date: March 9
- Total violations: 9 (two high priority)
- What went wrong: Inside the bar-restaurant’s walk in cooler, inspectors spotted a bowl of raw chicken thighs directly over a container of cooked chicken wings. They also cited issues with safe storage temperatures, soiled or unsafe scoops for rice, sauce and ice, as well as a soda gun nozzle behind the bar soiled with a black, mold-like substance.
Tulum Mexican Cuisine
- Address: 650 Riverside Drive
- Inspection date: March 10
- Total violations: 16 (three high priority)
- What went wrong: High-priority violations included rusted cans of yams, the presence of three live flying insects in the dishwashing area, and shrimp held at unsafe temperatures on the cook line. Inspectors also noted issues with documentation regarding food manager certification, employee foodborne illness reporting, and food safety training. Soiled surfaces and an unlabeled bottle of bleach in the front line area were also listed in the final report.
Flora’s Italian Eatery
- Address: 12335 W. Sample Road
- Inspection date: March 10
- Total violations: 1 (one high priority)
- What went wrong: Inspectors noted improper storage temperature as the only issue in this follow-up visit, according to records. But, it impacted several items: sausage, meatballs, pasta, mozzarella and pre-cooked sausage patties. Workers corrected the issue by relocating them to the walk-in cooler.
Restaurants with violations but passed inspection
Fyr and Ice Asian Fusion and Drinks
- Address: 10371 W. Sample Road
- Inspection date: March 6
- Total violations: 14 (four high priority)
- What went wrong: Issues were related to ice storage, including an improperly stored bucket and scoop, as well as improper sanitation of dishes and utensils. Inspectors also observed an employee wipe his face with one hand, then both hands with a used rag before grabbing uncooked pork loin with his bare hands and placing it inside a wok. They also wrote that “after taking a smoke break, operator immediately walked to an active wok and removed fully cooked pork loins into another food grade container.“ Raw animal products were also improperly stored, risking contamination between raw chicken, steak and eggs.
Country Kitchen
- Address: 9100 Wiles Road
- Inspection date: March 13
- Total violations: 9 (three high priority)
- What went wrong: Inspectors noted issues with temperature controls on cream cheese, breakfast potatoes, hash browns, cheese sauce, and marinara sauce. However, because corrective actions were taken in all cases and the food in question had not been exposed to unsafe temperatures for more than two hours, the restaurant passed inspection.
This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
Allison Beck
Coral Springs News