Cooked?
Al's Café
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedApril 22, 2026
- address27 Dry Dock Av, Boston 02210
Is Al's Café clean?
Al's Café is currently Pass from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on April 22, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Al's Café?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 22, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️(A)(2) and (B) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Observed multiple food products stored @ 50F in refrigerated / countertop unit. Discussed with PIC and owner via telephone to maintain cold holding @ 41F or below. COScritical(A)(2) and (B) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Observed multiple food products stored @ 50F in refrigerated / countertop unit. Discussed with PIC and owner via telephone to maintain cold holding @ 41F or below. COS
- ⚠️Sanitizing Solutions Testing Devices (Pf) • Observed damaged test strips for Quats sanitizer. Provide and maintain in good conditionSanitizing Solutions Testing Devices (Pf) • Observed damaged test strips for Quats sanitizer. Provide and maintain in good condition
- ⚠️Good Repair and Proper Adjustment-Equipment (C) • Observed refrigerated unit near handsink and countertop unit operating between 50F-60F according to internal thermometer. Instructed PIC to service equipment to ensure cold holding is maintained at 41F or below. PIC removed all itemsGood Repair and Proper Adjustment-Equipment (C) • Observed refrigerated unit near handsink and countertop unit operating between 50F-60F according to internal thermometer. Instructed PIC to service equipment to ensure cold holding is maintained at 41F or below. PIC removed all items
When was Al's Café last inspected?
Al's Café has 19 inspections on record going back to May 18, 2021. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 22, 2026 | Pass | |
| April 15, 2026 | Fail | |
| September 29, 2025 | Pass | |
| May 9, 2025 | Pass | |
| May 2, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 31, 2024 | — | |
| July 30, 2024 | Pass | |
| January 12, 2024 | Pass | |
| January 9, 2024 | Fail | |
| January 3, 2024 | — | |
| July 21, 2023 | Pass | |
| January 18, 2023 | — |
Al's Café vs South Boston Waterfront
South Boston Waterfront runs 93% clean across 391 tracked restaurants — 333 clean, 15 mid, 12 cooked.
Against the 391 spots Cooked tracks in South Boston Waterfront, this one comes out cleaner than 8% of them.
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See every restaurant inspection in South Boston Waterfront →
How Boston grades restaurants
Boston reports inspections as a pass or a fail, with no score and no letter. What separates a bad fail from a trivial one is the violation severity ladder: a single star is a minor issue, two stars is more serious, and three stars marks a critical foodborne-illness risk factor — temperature abuse, bad handwashing, cross-contamination. A restaurant can fail on paperwork alone, which is not the same as failing on food safety. Cooked splits Boston fails accordingly: a fail with a three-star violation reads cooked, a fail on minor items only reads mid.
Source: Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division via Analyze Boston. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated April 22, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.