Cooked?
El Barco
- resultFail
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMarch 24, 2026
- address50 Dalton St, Boston 02115
Is El Barco clean?
El Barco is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on March 24, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at El Barco?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 24, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Non-Continuous Cooking of Raw Animal Foods (Pf) • Establishment is par cooking chicken. Draft procedures and email them to [email protected] for this process as required.Non-Continuous Cooking of Raw Animal Foods (Pf) • Establishment is par cooking chicken. Draft procedures and email them to [email protected] for this process as required.
- ⚠️Good Repair and Proper Adjustment-Equipment (C) • Sliding glass door to kitchen walkin with large gap between doors. Repair/seal. Door to one of two ice machines is broken. Repair.Good Repair and Proper Adjustment-Equipment (C) • Sliding glass door to kitchen walkin with large gap between doors. Repair/seal. Door to one of two ice machines is broken. Repair.
- ⚠️Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces and Utensils-Frequency (C) • Clean and sanitize inside ice machines.Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces and Utensils-Frequency (C) • Clean and sanitize inside ice machines.
- ⚠️Nonfood Contact Surfaces (C) • Ceiling tiles heavily soiled in back area of kitchen. Floors with soils and debris under and around ice machines bar floors with soils and debris. Clean to remove.Nonfood Contact Surfaces (C) • Ceiling tiles heavily soiled in back area of kitchen. Floors with soils and debris under and around ice machines bar floors with soils and debris. Clean to remove.
- ⚠️System Maintained in Good Repair (C) • One of two handsink at bar is inoperable. Repair. Abandoned grease trap. Remove.System Maintained in Good Repair (C) • One of two handsink at bar is inoperable. Repair. Abandoned grease trap. Remove.
- ⚠️Surface Characteristics-Indoor Areas (C) • Grout voids in tile floor in warewashing area and at wait station. Clean and resurface.Surface Characteristics-Indoor Areas (C) • Grout voids in tile floor in warewashing area and at wait station. Clean and resurface.
- ⚠️Outer Openings Protected (C) • Large gap under front door with daylight emitting. Seal with pest proof materials so no daylight is visible through bottom of the door.Outer Openings Protected (C) • Large gap under front door with daylight emitting. Seal with pest proof materials so no daylight is visible through bottom of the door.
- ⚠️Intensity-Lighting (C) • Right hand side of kitchen very dimly lit. Install adequate lighting.Intensity-Lighting (C) • Right hand side of kitchen very dimly lit. Install adequate lighting.
- ⚠️Controlling Pests (C) • Numerous small flies seen in bar areas as noted on pest report dated 3/19/26 from Braman. Provide updated pest report for treatment of fruit flies.Controlling Pests (C) • Numerous small flies seen in bar areas as noted on pest report dated 3/19/26 from Braman. Provide updated pest report for treatment of fruit flies.
- ⚠️Maintaining Premises Unnecessary Items and Litter (C) • Several pieces of equipment out of use left over from former Summer Shack. Remove.Maintaining Premises Unnecessary Items and Litter (C) • Several pieces of equipment out of use left over from former Summer Shack. Remove.
- ⚠️Anti-Choking • 590.011 No choke save certificate. Provide.Anti-Choking • 590.011 No choke save certificate. Provide.
When was El Barco last inspected?
El Barco has 5 inspections on record going back to August 28, 2025.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2026 | — | |
| March 24, 2026 | Fail | |
| March 12, 2026 | Fail | |
| September 8, 2025 | Pass | |
| August 28, 2025 | Fail |
El Barco vs Back Bay
Back Bay runs 81% clean across 519 tracked restaurants — 417 clean, 46 mid, 50 cooked.
Against the 519 spots Cooked tracks in Back Bay, this one comes out cleaner than 16% of them.
Other spots in Back Bay
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 March 24, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.