Cooked?
Merengue Express
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedFebruary 17, 2026
- address1 Gurney St, Mission Hill 02120
Is Merengue Express clean?
Merengue Express is currently Pass from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on February 17, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Merengue Express?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 17, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Clean Condition-Outer Clothing (C) • Ensure all food handlers are wearing clean outer attire such as uniforms - aprons and meat coats when working / preparing foods for the restaurantClean Condition-Outer Clothing (C) • Ensure all food handlers are wearing clean outer attire such as uniforms - aprons and meat coats when working / preparing foods for the restaurant
- ⚠️Effectiveness-Hair Restraints (C) • Ensure all food handlers [ including staff who are not cooking but are dispensing foods from the hot holding units ] are wearing proper hair restraints during hours of operationEffectiveness-Hair Restraints (C) • Ensure all food handlers [ including staff who are not cooking but are dispensing foods from the hot holding units ] are wearing proper hair restraints during hours of operation
- ⚠️Ventilation Hood Systems Filters (C) • Clean vents above the char grille to remove all visible grease and grimeVentilation Hood Systems Filters (C) • Clean vents above the char grille to remove all visible grease and grime
- ⚠️Handwashing Signage (C) • Post signage stating " Hand Washing Only " at all designated hand sinks in the restaurantHandwashing Signage (C) • Post signage stating " Hand Washing Only " at all designated hand sinks in the restaurant
- ⚠️Prohibiting Animals (Pf) • Recommending to post signage on the front glass door stating " Service animals only " or " no pets alloed inside this establishment per order the Health department " - something to this meaning to assist in reminding customers NOT to bring their pets insidxe the facilityProhibiting Animals (Pf) • Recommending to post signage on the front glass door stating " Service animals only " or " no pets alloed inside this establishment per order the Health department " - something to this meaning to assist in reminding customers NOT to bring their pets insidxe the facility
When was Merengue Express last inspected?
Merengue Express has 15 inspections on record going back to July 25, 2023. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 17, 2026 | Pass | |
| February 9, 2026 | Fail | |
| October 3, 2025 | Pass | |
| October 1, 2025 | Fail | |
| September 24, 2025 | Fail | |
| February 26, 2025 | Pass | |
| October 31, 2024 | — | |
| May 30, 2024 | Pass | |
| May 23, 2024 | Fail | |
| January 19, 2024 | Pass | |
| January 11, 2024 | Fail | |
| January 3, 2024 | — |
Merengue Express vs Mission Hill
Mission Hill runs 77% clean across 251 tracked restaurants — 186 clean, 24 mid, 31 cooked.
Against the 251 spots Cooked tracks in Mission Hill, this one comes out cleaner than 23% of them.
Other spots in Mission Hill
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 17, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.