Cooked?
Checkmate Cafe
- resultFail
- critical violations0
- last inspectedApril 22, 2026
- address900 South St, Roslindale 02131
Is Checkmate Cafe clean?
Checkmate Cafe is currently Fail 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 mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Checkmate Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 22, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Wiping Cloths Use Limitation (C) • Soiled wiping cloths observed being left out non counter tops. Discontinue and provide a proper sanitizing solution.Wiping Cloths Use Limitation (C) • Soiled wiping cloths observed being left out non counter tops. Discontinue and provide a proper sanitizing solution.
- ⚠️Nonfood-Contact Surfaces (C) • Single door upright freezer does not appear to be fucntioning properly. Address and ensure the freezer is functioning properly or discontinue use. Foods inside of the unit were at below 40F at the time of the inspection.Nonfood-Contact Surfaces (C) • Single door upright freezer does not appear to be fucntioning properly. Address and ensure the freezer is functioning properly or discontinue use. Foods inside of the unit were at below 40F at the time of the inspection.
- ⚠️System Maintained in Good Repair (C) • Preparation sink in the back storage area has no air gap. Provide air gap on the preparation sink as discussed. • Original plastic containers containing dressings being re-used and have a mold like substance on the openings. Discontinue re-using dressing containers.System Maintained in Good Repair (C) • Preparation sink in the back storage area has no air gap. Provide air gap on the preparation sink as discussed. • Original plastic containers containing dressings being re-used and have a mold like substance on the openings. Discontinue re-using dressing containers.
- ⚠️Controlling Pests (C) • Evidence of what appears to be rodent droppings observed on the shelf where pizza pans are being stored. Address clean to remove and provide an up to date pest control report for the re-inpection date specified. At the time of the visit there were no other signs of any activity noted. Droppings were possibly older as stated by owner.Controlling Pests (C) • Evidence of what appears to be rodent droppings observed on the shelf where pizza pans are being stored. Address clean to remove and provide an up to date pest control report for the re-inpection date specified. At the time of the visit there were no other signs of any activity noted. Droppings were possibly older as stated by owner.
When was Checkmate Cafe last inspected?
Checkmate Cafe has 45 inspections on record going back to December 29, 2015. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 22, 2026 | Fail | |
| April 13, 2026 | Fail | |
| November 25, 2025 | Pass | |
| November 18, 2025 | Fail | |
| April 1, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 24, 2025 | Fail | |
| March 3, 2025 | Fail | |
| February 24, 2025 | Fail | |
| November 14, 2024 | — | |
| April 26, 2024 | Pass | |
| April 25, 2024 | closed by the city | |
| February 26, 2024 | — |
Checkmate Cafe vs Roslindale
Roslindale runs 80% clean across 244 tracked restaurants — 186 clean, 28 mid, 18 cooked.
Against the 244 spots Cooked tracks in Roslindale, this one comes out cleaner than 16% of them.
Other spots in Roslindale
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.