The Madras Cafe in Ocala was temporarily closed earlier this week after an inspector found 25 health code violations, including  dozens of roaches both living and dead.
The Indian restaurant, which is located at 2800 SW 24th Avenue, Suite 101 in Ocala, was forced to temporarily close its doors on Thursday, April 6 following a failed health inspection, according to a report filed by a health inspector with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The inspector cited the restaurant for six high priority violations, including the presence of live roaches. In the report, the inspector noted that two live roaches were found in the dry storage room near the kitchen, six roaches were in the dry storage area in the back of the kitchen, one roach was under the table in the prep area, and three roaches were in the men’s restroom.
Additional high priority violations cited in the report include the presence of small flying insects in the restaurant, raw animal food not being properly separated from ready-to-eat food, and an employee failing to wash their hands prior to handling food and clean equipment.
The report also listed multiple intermediate violations (including food-contact surfaces being soiled with food debris, no probe thermometer being provided to measure the temperature of foods, and no proof of required state-approved training for any of the restaurant’s employees), as well as multiple basic violations (including food being stored on the floor, equipment and utensils not being properly air-dried, and non-food surfaces being soiled with grease).
The restaurant remained closed after the initial inspection, and the health inspector returned on Friday, April 7 for a follow-up visit. During the second inspection, three live roaches were observed on the prep table’s legs under the grill, two roaches were on the dry storage rack in the kitchen, one roach was on a bin of towels, a single roach was in the men’s restroom, one roach was under the hand sink at the front counter, and another roach was on the wall in the dry storage room.
The inspector also spotted approximately 30 dead roaches on the floor in the kitchen, two dead roaches in an oven, three dead roaches on a wall near a wash area, and two dead roaches inside a reach-in freezer.
The restaurant remained closed after the follow-up inspection on Friday. The report does not indicate whether or not the restaurant has yet reopened.