Cooked?
El Barrio Mexican Grill
- resultFail
- critical violations0
- last inspectedFebruary 18, 2026
- address809 Harrison Av, Roxbury 02118
Is El Barrio Mexican Grill clean?
El Barrio Mexican Grill is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on February 18, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at El Barrio Mexican Grill?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 18, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️(A) Certified Food Protection Manager (C) • PIC on site without a current food safety certificate / Address and post on site as discussed(A) Certified Food Protection Manager (C) • PIC on site without a current food safety certificate / Address and post on site as discussed
- ⚠️Standards of Identity (C) • Ensure all foods available for retail sale have a proper label with the list of ingredients - flann cakes mising labelsStandards of Identity (C) • Ensure all foods available for retail sale have a proper label with the list of ingredients - flann cakes mising labels
- ⚠️Consumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • Several menu items aremissing the proper disclosure / reminder - ensure all foods offered under cooked on the menu have an astrik [*] noting that this particular item can be cooked to the customers choice - an astrik [*] shall also be noted by the word * consuming....... as we discussed during inspectionConsumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • Several menu items aremissing the proper disclosure / reminder - ensure all foods offered under cooked on the menu have an astrik [*] noting that this particular item can be cooked to the customers choice - an astrik [*] shall also be noted by the word * consuming....... as we discussed during inspection
- ⚠️Ventilation Hood Systems Filters (C) • Clean the vents in the hood where needed from all visible soilsVentilation Hood Systems Filters (C) • Clean the vents in the hood where needed from all visible soils
- ⚠️Storage Refuse Recyclables and Returnable (C) • Clean the grease container stored in the alleyway behind the restaurant from grease spills and visible soilsStorage Refuse Recyclables and Returnable (C) • Clean the grease container stored in the alleyway behind the restaurant from grease spills and visible soils
- ⚠️Outside Storage Prohibitions (C) • There is an empty shopping cart filled with cradboard and loose debris in the alleyway directly against the restaurant [ needs to be remove to reduce potential rodent activity ]Outside Storage Prohibitions (C) • There is an empty shopping cart filled with cradboard and loose debris in the alleyway directly against the restaurant [ needs to be remove to reduce potential rodent activity ]
When was El Barrio Mexican Grill last inspected?
El Barrio Mexican Grill has 27 inspections on record going back to December 30, 2021. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 25, 2026 | — | |
| February 18, 2026 | Fail | |
| February 11, 2026 | Fail | |
| June 27, 2025 | Pass | |
| June 17, 2025 | Fail | |
| March 19, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 10, 2025 | Fail | |
| August 12, 2024 | Pass | |
| August 5, 2024 | Fail | |
| April 11, 2024 | Pass | |
| March 25, 2024 | Fail | |
| March 18, 2024 | Fail |
El Barrio Mexican Grill vs South End
South End runs 81% clean across 691 tracked restaurants — 498 clean, 63 mid, 54 cooked.
Against the 691 spots Cooked tracks in South End, this one comes out cleaner than 15% of them.
Other spots in South End
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 February 18, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.