JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two restaurants were found with serious violations during routine health inspections last week, according to state regulators' records.
La Nopalera on Crosshill Boulevard, near the intersection of Argyle Forest Boulevard and Oakleaf Village Parkway, had 26 flies and four live roaches in the restaurant, leading to an emergency closure, state records show. An inspector said the insects were found near the ice machine, in the bar area and in the dining room. Eight dead roaches were discovered near the restrooms and kitchen entrance, records show. The restaurant reopened the next day once it was bug-free.
News4Jax also checked up on La Nopalera on Hendricks Avenue. The Mexican restaurant's San Marco location closed in July when the city of Jacksonville's Building Inspection Division found fire safety violations in the business. While the same orange "Cease and desist" sticker remains on the locked doors, there is a new sign reading, "Improvements are on the way," next to it. News4Jax will let you know once the restaurant reopens.
VIEW INSPECTION REPORTS: La Nopalera on Crosshill Boulevard | Biggie's Pizza
WATCH: This week's Restaurant Report looks at La Nopalera locations
Biggie's Pizza on Third Street in Jacksonville Beach also reopened after employees fixed a problem with rodent droppings.
Co-owner Gazmir Broci said an inspector found dozens of droppings in between the walls near the back of the kitchen that connected the restaurant with a laundromat. Broci said the discovery led to the restaurant's first emergency closure.
"There was a hole in the drywall connecting us with the laundromat and outside," Broci said. "Immediately, we cleaned it up and then we called the construction company and they remodeled the whole kitchen. We got all the drywall out, put insulation (in), put in metal so it doesn't happen again."
He said he and his staff worked overnight to make sure Biggie's was back in business the next day without any unwanted guests.
"We tried real hard to get it perfect, you know? We don't want stuff like that happening here," Broci said. It's an oversight he said he won't let happen again.
Broci said the focus now is on the launch of a second location in Riverside. No exact date has been set for the opening, but Broci said he hopes it will be near the end of next month.