Discovery Cafe

• resultFail
• critical violations2
• last inspectedApril 1, 2026
• address3 Blackfan Ci, Boston 02115

Is Discovery Cafe clean?

Discovery Cafe is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on April 1, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Discovery Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 1, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Cleaning Procedure (P) • Food employee washed hands then dried them on apron. Retrain staff. Corrected on sitecritical
  Cleaning Procedure (P) • Food employee washed hands then dried them on apron. Retrain staff. Corrected on site
• ⚠️Prohibition-Jewelry (C) • Food employee observed making sandwiches with a dangling bracelet. Instructed to remove.
  Prohibition-Jewelry (C) • Food employee observed making sandwiches with a dangling bracelet. Instructed to remove.
• ⚠️(A) (B) and (C)(1) (4)-(16) Demonstration (Pf) • Priority violations. Provide active managerial control.
  (A) (B) and (C)(1) (4)-(16) Demonstration (Pf) • Priority violations. Provide active managerial control.
• ⚠️(A)(2) and (B) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Sliced ham 49F tomatoes 52F. Product cut within the hour placed indirectly on ice for lunch service and willl be moved into alternative refrigerator holding at 38F.critical
  (A)(2) and (B) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Sliced ham 49F tomatoes 52F. Product cut within the hour placed indirectly on ice for lunch service and willl be moved into alternative refrigerator holding at 38F.
• ⚠️Cooling Heating and Holding Capacities-Equipment (Pf) • Reach in cooler with flip top 50F. Repair. PIC to transfer TCS foods to another unit holding at 38F. TCS foods in unit out of temperature within hour.
  Cooling Heating and Holding Capacities-Equipment (Pf) • Reach in cooler with flip top 50F. Repair. PIC to transfer TCS foods to another unit holding at 38F. TCS foods in unit out of temperature within hour.
• ⚠️Ventilation Hood Systems Adequacy (C) • Flat top griddle in use to cook grease emanating foods no hood. Install commercial vent hood or remove griddle.
  Ventilation Hood Systems Adequacy (C) • Flat top griddle in use to cook grease emanating foods no hood. Install commercial vent hood or remove griddle.
• ⚠️Nonfood Contact Surfaces (C) • Floors with visible soils near baseboards at cashier area on floors under equipment at service line. Clean to remove.
  Nonfood Contact Surfaces (C) • Floors with visible soils near baseboards at cashier area on floors under equipment at service line. Clean to remove.
• ⚠️Surface Characteristics-Indoor Areas (C) • Ceiling above coffee service area and above out of use salad bar unit with numerous missing ceiling tiles. REPLACE.
  Surface Characteristics-Indoor Areas (C) • Ceiling above coffee service area and above out of use salad bar unit with numerous missing ceiling tiles. REPLACE.
• ⚠️Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning System Vents (C) • HVAC vents with visible soils and grease buildup in back area. Clean to remove.
  Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning System Vents (C) • HVAC vents with visible soils and grease buildup in back area. Clean to remove.
• ⚠️Hand Drying Provision (Pf) • Paper towel dispenser at warewashing area is missing no paper towels. Replace. Provide.
  Hand Drying Provision (Pf) • Paper towel dispenser at warewashing area is missing no paper towels. Replace. Provide.
• ⚠️Controlling Pests (Pf) • Mice droppings on floors near cash register. Clean and sanitize all affected areas. Provide updated IPM pest control report upon re inspection.
  Controlling Pests (Pf) • Mice droppings on floors near cash register. Clean and sanitize all affected areas. Provide updated IPM pest control report upon re inspection.

When was Discovery Cafe last inspected?

Discovery Cafe has 39 inspections on record going back to October 11, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Discovery Cafe vs Longwood

Longwood runs 78% clean across 203 tracked restaurants — 153 clean, 19 mid, 23 cooked.

Against the 203 spots Cooked tracks in Longwood, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Longwood

• ✓ Tsushi Inc.
  clean · January 30, 2020
• ✓ Au Bon Pain
  clean · May 1, 2023
• ✓ Gyro City
  clean · October 9, 2015
• ✓ Starbucks@Boston Childrens(Sodexo)
  clean · October 6, 2023
• ✓ Lulu's Sweet Shoppe
  clean · October 10, 2014
• ✓ Red Mango @ Boston Childrens
  clean · October 23, 2019

See every restaurant inspection in Longwood →

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 1, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.