Cooked?
El Centro
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedApril 23, 2026
- address474 Shawmut Av, Boston 02118
Is El Centro clean?
El Centro is currently Pass 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 clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at El Centro?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 23, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Effectiveness-Hair Restraints (C) • All food handlers need proper hair restraints when working with exposed foods and preperation address where neededEffectiveness-Hair Restraints (C) • All food handlers need proper hair restraints when working with exposed foods and preperation address where needed
- ⚠️Assignment (Pf) • Ensure there is a designated PIC / Manager in place during all hours of business to address food safety and to oversee the day to day operationsAssignment (Pf) • Ensure there is a designated PIC / Manager in place during all hours of business to address food safety and to oversee the day to day operations
- ⚠️(A) Certified Food Protection Manager (C) • Post copies of both the current food safety and allergen awareness certificates of the on site manager in a conspicuous location of the restaurant as discussed(A) Certified Food Protection Manager (C) • Post copies of both the current food safety and allergen awareness certificates of the on site manager in a conspicuous location of the restaurant as discussed
- ⚠️Consumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • Several items on the menu that are offered under cooked do not have the proper disclosure / reminder - identify as we discussed with aan astrik [*] and then the astik by the verbiage [*] consumption of raw or under cooked .... to coincide with that particular itemConsumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • Several items on the menu that are offered under cooked do not have the proper disclosure / reminder - identify as we discussed with aan astrik [*] and then the astik by the verbiage [*] consumption of raw or under cooked .... to coincide with that particular item
When was El Centro last inspected?
El Centro has 76 inspections on record going back to December 26, 2007. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 23, 2026 | Pass | |
| March 3, 2026 | Fail | |
| July 25, 2025 | Pass | |
| July 18, 2025 | Fail | |
| February 5, 2025 | Pass | |
| January 29, 2025 | Fail | |
| November 19, 2024 | Pass | |
| November 12, 2024 | Fail | |
| September 25, 2024 | — | |
| August 20, 2024 | Pass | |
| January 10, 2024 | Pass | |
| September 26, 2023 | Pass |
El Centro 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 19% 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 April 23, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.