Habanero Salvadorian & Mexican Grill

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedAugust 30, 2013
• address166 Brighton Av, Allston 02134

Is Habanero Salvadorian & Mexican Grill clean?

Habanero Salvadorian & Mexican Grill is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on August 30, 2013. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Habanero Salvadorian & Mexican Grill?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 30, 2013, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Cold Holding • Cold slaw in 2 door deli cooler with an elevated temperature of 50F PIC stated that the cloe slaw had been made fresh an hour prior. Discontinue and ensure all potentially hazardous foods are at or below 41F before being placed into the deli cooler for service. Coleslaw was removed and placed into a refrigeration unit keep a temoperature of below 41F.critical
  Cold Holding • Cold slaw in 2 door deli cooler with an elevated temperature of 50F PIC stated that the cloe slaw had been made fresh an hour prior. Discontinue and ensure all potentially hazardous foods are at or below 41F before being placed into the deli cooler for service. Coleslaw was removed and placed into a refrigeration unit keep a temoperature of below 41F.
• ⚠️Food Thermometers Provided • No food thermometers available at the time of the inspection.
  Food Thermometers Provided • No food thermometers available at the time of the inspection.
• ⚠️Food Protection • Containers of meat and produce observed being stored on the ground of the walk-in cooler. Discontinue and store elevated at least 6 inches off the ground.
  Food Protection • Containers of meat and produce observed being stored on the ground of the walk-in cooler. Discontinue and store elevated at least 6 inches off the ground.
• ⚠️Non-Food Contact Surfaces • Small 2 door deli cooler with excess moisture on the lower shelf. Clean to remove and repair if necessary. Fan cover of walk-in cooler missing. Replace. Screen door leading to the back of establishment damaged. Replace to limit fly activity in establishment.
  Non-Food Contact Surfaces • Small 2 door deli cooler with excess moisture on the lower shelf. Clean to remove and repair if necessary. Fan cover of walk-in cooler missing. Replace. Screen door leading to the back of establishment damaged. Replace to limit fly activity in establishment.
• ⚠️Test Kit Provided • No test kit available at the time of the inspection. Provide.
  Test Kit Provided • No test kit available at the time of the inspection. Provide.
• ⚠️Wiping Cloths Clean Sanitize • Soiled wiping cloths observed being left out on counter tops. Discontinue and provide proper sanitizing solution.
  Wiping Cloths Clean Sanitize • Soiled wiping cloths observed being left out on counter tops. Discontinue and provide proper sanitizing solution.
• ⚠️Non-Food Contact Surfaces Clean • Surface of 6 top burner with excess carbon build-up. Clean to remove.
  Non-Food Contact Surfaces Clean • Surface of 6 top burner with excess carbon build-up. Clean to remove.
• ⚠️Installed and Maintained • Hot water faucet at hand sink in main service area not operating. Repair. Hot water is still operating at all other sinks in establishment.
  Installed and Maintained • Hot water faucet at hand sink in main service area not operating. Repair. Hot water is still operating at all other sinks in establishment.
• ⚠️Hand Cleaner Drying Tissue Signage • No paper towels at hank sink in main service area. Provide. No paper towels soap or signage at hand sink in basement preparation area. Provide.
  Hand Cleaner Drying Tissue Signage • No paper towels at hank sink in main service area. Provide. No paper towels soap or signage at hand sink in basement preparation area. Provide.
• ⚠️Improper Maintenance of Floors • Portion of floor near 3 bay sink damaged. Repair
  Improper Maintenance of Floors • Portion of floor near 3 bay sink damaged. Repair

When was Habanero Salvadorian & Mexican Grill last inspected?

Habanero Salvadorian & Mexican Grill has 17 inspections on record going back to April 24, 2009. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Habanero Salvadorian & Mexican Grill vs Allston

Allston runs 88% clean across 493 tracked restaurants — 415 clean, 35 mid, 23 cooked.

Against the 493 spots Cooked tracks in Allston, this one comes out cleaner than 3% of them.

Other spots in Allston

• ✓ Trustees Of Boston University
  clean · April 1, 2019
• ✓ Bravo Pizza
  clean · October 15, 2014
• ✓ Lilly's Gourmet Pasta Express
  clean · August 11, 2010
• ✓ Uchef
  clean · July 22, 2010
• ✓ Dawat Fine Indian Cuisine
  clean · July 13, 2009
• ✓ Trader Joe's No. 561
  clean · March 5, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Allston →

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 August 30, 2013. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.