Cooked?
La Esquina Restaurant
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedJanuary 13, 2026
- address624 Blue Hill Av, Dorchester 02121
Is La Esquina Restaurant clean?
La Esquina Restaurant is currently Pass from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on January 13, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at La Esquina Restaurant?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 13, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️(A)-(P) Person-In-Charge-Duties (Pf) • Must ensure to pay Health Permit yearly provide current permit.(A)-(P) Person-In-Charge-Duties (Pf) • Must ensure to pay Health Permit yearly provide current permit.
- ⚠️Packaged and Unpackaged Food-Separation Packaging and Segregation (P) • Reach-in fridge /properly store eggs below vegetables and ready to eat foods.Separate and maintain to avoid possible contaminationcriticalPackaged and Unpackaged Food-Separation Packaging and Segregation (P) • Reach-in fridge /properly store eggs below vegetables and ready to eat foods.Separate and maintain to avoid possible contamination
- ⚠️Food Storage Containers Identified with Common Name of Food (C) • Multiple squeeze bottles observed without labels. Provide labels when removed from original containersFood Storage Containers Identified with Common Name of Food (C) • Multiple squeeze bottles observed without labels. Provide labels when removed from original containers
- ⚠️Ready-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Reach in Unit/ Properly date mark all ready to eat food.Provide made/discard date to all food prepped before storing in the refrigeratorReady-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Reach in Unit/ Properly date mark all ready to eat food.Provide made/discard date to all food prepped before storing in the refrigerator
- ⚠️Food Labels (Pf) • Several desserts in the front self service cooler with no labels/ingredients. Provide on all packaged foods out for self serviceFood Labels (Pf) • Several desserts in the front self service cooler with no labels/ingredients. Provide on all packaged foods out for self service
- ⚠️Sponges Use Limitation (C) • Sponges being used at the 3 bay sink. Discontinue use.Sponges Use Limitation (C) • Sponges being used at the 3 bay sink. Discontinue use.
- ⚠️Sanitizing Solutions Testing Devices (Pf) • No test strips available at the time of the inspection. Provide.Sanitizing Solutions Testing Devices (Pf) • No test strips available at the time of the inspection. Provide.
- ⚠️Cutting Surfaces (C) • Multiple blue cutting boards observed heavily scored. ReplaceCutting Surfaces (C) • Multiple blue cutting boards observed heavily scored. Replace
- ⚠️System Maintained in Good Repair (C) • The Front hand sink is not functioning properly. Address and make any necessary repairsSystem Maintained in Good Repair (C) • The Front hand sink is not functioning properly. Address and make any necessary repairs
- ⚠️Hand Drying Provision (Pf) • No paper towels observed at the back hand sink. Provide.Hand Drying Provision (Pf) • No paper towels observed at the back hand sink. Provide.
- ⚠️Violation being issued for the non-payment of the 2026 Health Permit.Address and ensure payment is made no later than the end of the day on 1/7/2026Violation being issued for the non-payment of the 2026 Health Permit.Address and ensure payment is made no later than the end of the day on 1/7/2026
When was La Esquina Restaurant last inspected?
La Esquina Restaurant has 32 inspections on record going back to May 6, 2019. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| January 13, 2026 | Pass | |
| January 6, 2026 | Fail | |
| July 28, 2025 | — | |
| July 21, 2025 | Fail | |
| February 4, 2025 | Pass | |
| January 28, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 31, 2024 | — | |
| June 18, 2024 | — | |
| June 11, 2024 | Fail | |
| February 2, 2024 | Pass | |
| January 26, 2024 | Fail | |
| October 12, 2023 | Pass |
La Esquina Restaurant vs Roxbury
Roxbury runs 83% clean across 708 tracked restaurants — 559 clean, 69 mid, 49 cooked.
Against the 708 spots Cooked tracks in Roxbury, this one comes out cleaner than 17% of them.
Other spots in Roxbury
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 January 13, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.