Cooked?
Cafe Lava & Bento
- resultFail
- critical violations0
- last inspectedApril 23, 2026
- address290 Washington St, Brighton 02135
Is Cafe Lava & Bento clean?
Cafe Lava & Bento is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on April 23, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Cafe Lava & Bento?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 23, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Provide allergen awareness poster in back of house for staff Post 2026 Health PermitProvide allergen awareness poster in back of house for staff Post 2026 Health Permit
- ⚠️Eating Drinking or Using Tobacco (C) • Observed the food handler chewing gum in the food prep area and while handling and preparing foods; food handlers should not eat or drink in the food prep areas and only in designated areas away from food.Eating Drinking or Using Tobacco (C) • Observed the food handler chewing gum in the food prep area and while handling and preparing foods; food handlers should not eat or drink in the food prep areas and only in designated areas away from food.
- ⚠️Effectiveness-Hair Restraints (C) • The food handler was not observed wearing an effective hair restraing during the inspection and while they were handling and preparing foods; provide effective hair restraints for food handlers.Effectiveness-Hair Restraints (C) • The food handler was not observed wearing an effective hair restraing during the inspection and while they were handling and preparing foods; provide effective hair restraints for food handlers.
- ⚠️(A)-(P) Person-In-Charge-Duties (Pf) • The person in charge did not give the correct answer for maximum cold holding temperature was not able to name the reportable illnesses or symptoms and said they were not able to set up the three compartment sink so no cleaning and sanitizing was happening during the inspection; provide a person in charge who is knowelgable about food safety illness policy and sanitization.(A)-(P) Person-In-Charge-Duties (Pf) • The person in charge did not give the correct answer for maximum cold holding temperature was not able to name the reportable illnesses or symptoms and said they were not able to set up the three compartment sink so no cleaning and sanitizing was happening during the inspection; provide a person in charge who is knowelgable about food safety illness policy and sanitization.
- ⚠️Variance Requirement (Pf) • On the menu and as explained to the health inspector by the owner of the business the location cures salmon for items on their menu but no HACCP plan was able to be produced and no variance is on file with the Health Department; cease selling of the cured foods until a HACCP plan is submitted and approved by the Health Division and a variance has been granted for the curing of foods.Variance Requirement (Pf) • On the menu and as explained to the health inspector by the owner of the business the location cures salmon for items on their menu but no HACCP plan was able to be produced and no variance is on file with the Health Department; cease selling of the cured foods until a HACCP plan is submitted and approved by the Health Division and a variance has been granted for the curing of foods.
- ⚠️(B) and (C) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (C) • The interior of the under-counter refrigerators in the main kitchen are heavily encrusted in soils and debris; clean and sanitize.(B) and (C) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (C) • The interior of the under-counter refrigerators in the main kitchen are heavily encrusted in soils and debris; clean and sanitize.
- ⚠️Using a Handwashing Sink-Operation and Maintenance (Pf) • The handwashing sink in the back prep area is blocked by a trash can there is a plastic lid top inside the basin of the sink and there is no handwashing soap or approved hand drying device at the handwashing sink; handwashing sinks must always be accessible and stocked with hand cleanser and an approved hand drying device.Using a Handwashing Sink-Operation and Maintenance (Pf) • The handwashing sink in the back prep area is blocked by a trash can there is a plastic lid top inside the basin of the sink and there is no handwashing soap or approved hand drying device at the handwashing sink; handwashing sinks must always be accessible and stocked with hand cleanser and an approved hand drying device.
- ⚠️Maintaining Premises Unnecessary Items and Litter (C) • In the two closets off the main hallway observed extreme amounts of clutter that prevent proper cleaning and observation; remove any unnecessary items and organize items in the closets.Maintaining Premises Unnecessary Items and Litter (C) • In the two closets off the main hallway observed extreme amounts of clutter that prevent proper cleaning and observation; remove any unnecessary items and organize items in the closets.
- ⚠️Repairing-Premises Structures Attachments and Fixtures-Methods (C) • Ceiling tiles in the back food prep area are missing or dislodged; repair or replace the ceiling tiles.Repairing-Premises Structures Attachments and Fixtures-Methods (C) • Ceiling tiles in the back food prep area are missing or dislodged; repair or replace the ceiling tiles.
When was Cafe Lava & Bento last inspected?
Cafe Lava & Bento has 13 inspections on record going back to October 12, 2023. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2026 | — | |
| April 23, 2026 | Fail | |
| April 17, 2026 | Fail | |
| July 16, 2025 | — | |
| July 9, 2025 | Fail | |
| February 5, 2025 | — | |
| January 29, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 31, 2024 | — | |
| August 1, 2024 | Pass | |
| July 25, 2024 | Fail | |
| January 11, 2024 | Pass | |
| January 4, 2024 | Fail |
Cafe Lava & Bento vs Brighton
Brighton runs 83% clean across 486 tracked restaurants — 393 clean, 43 mid, 35 cooked.
Against the 486 spots Cooked tracks in Brighton, this one comes out cleaner than 13% of them.
Other spots in Brighton
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 23, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.