Cooked?
George Howell Coffee
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMay 21, 2026
- address408 Newbury St, Boston 02115
Is George Howell Coffee clean?
George Howell Coffee is currently Pass from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on May 21, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at George Howell Coffee?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 21, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Clean-up of Vomiting and Diarrheal Events (Pf) • Per discussion with the person in charge the procedures and V&D kit could not be found during the inspection; provide written vomit and diarrhea clean up procedures.Clean-up of Vomiting and Diarrheal Events (Pf) • Per discussion with the person in charge the procedures and V&D kit could not be found during the inspection; provide written vomit and diarrhea clean up procedures.
- ⚠️Packaged and Unpackaged Food-Separation Packaging and Segregation (P) • In a reach-in cold holding unit in the main prep area observed raw shell eggs stored directly above RTE foods; after the observation the person in charge directed staff to move the raw shell eggs to the bottom shelf of the cold holding unit; store raw proteins below RTE foods and by their minimum safe cooking temperatures.criticalPackaged and Unpackaged Food-Separation Packaging and Segregation (P) • In a reach-in cold holding unit in the main prep area observed raw shell eggs stored directly above RTE foods; after the observation the person in charge directed staff to move the raw shell eggs to the bottom shelf of the cold holding unit; store raw proteins below RTE foods and by their minimum safe cooking temperatures.
- ⚠️Consumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • On the digital menu in the restaurant mark the foods with an * that can be served raw or undercooked. The person in charge was able to contact someone and the digital menus were updated while the health inspector was on site.Consumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • On the digital menu in the restaurant mark the foods with an * that can be served raw or undercooked. The person in charge was able to contact someone and the digital menus were updated while the health inspector was on site.
- ⚠️Temperature Measuring Devices-Functionality (C) • Multiple cold holding units observed missing internal thermometers; provide internal thermometers in all cold holding units in conspicuous locations.Temperature Measuring Devices-Functionality (C) • Multiple cold holding units observed missing internal thermometers; provide internal thermometers in all cold holding units in conspicuous locations.
- ⚠️Temperature Measuring Devices Manual and Mechanical Warewashing (Pf) • The locations uses a high temperature warewashing machine but no irreversible thermometer could be presented during the inspection; provide.Temperature Measuring Devices Manual and Mechanical Warewashing (Pf) • The locations uses a high temperature warewashing machine but no irreversible thermometer could be presented during the inspection; provide.
- ⚠️Manual and Mechanical Warewashing Equipment Chemical Sanitization-Temperature pH Concentration and Hardness (P) • Quats at 0ppm at red saniitzer buckets had been poured from the auto-mixer two hours or less per the person in charge. Root cause appears to be that staff are using only hot water at the mixer and temperature of solution coming is 123F and is too hot. Retrain staff to mix solution at lower temperature per manafacturer instructions and sanitizer PPM should be at required PPM per chemical manafacturer.criticalManual and Mechanical Warewashing Equipment Chemical Sanitization-Temperature pH Concentration and Hardness (P) • Quats at 0ppm at red saniitzer buckets had been poured from the auto-mixer two hours or less per the person in charge. Root cause appears to be that staff are using only hot water at the mixer and temperature of solution coming is 123F and is too hot. Retrain staff to mix solution at lower temperature per manafacturer instructions and sanitizer PPM should be at required PPM per chemical manafacturer.
- ⚠️Post site cleanliness license Provide at least one person on staff trained in the choke saver techniquePost site cleanliness license Provide at least one person on staff trained in the choke saver technique
When was George Howell Coffee last inspected?
George Howell Coffee has 4 inspections on record going back to August 18, 2025.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2026 | Pass | |
| May 13, 2026 | Fail | |
| November 6, 2025 | — | |
| August 18, 2025 | Pass |
George Howell Coffee 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 19% 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 May 21, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.