Cooked?
Potbelly Sandwich Shop
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedJuly 1, 2026
- address263 Washington St, Boston 02108
Is Potbelly Sandwich Shop clean?
Potbelly Sandwich Shop is currently Pass from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on July 1, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Potbelly Sandwich Shop?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 1, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Miscellaneous Sources of Contamination (C) • Service workers observed working on ceiling above sandwich line while food being is being prepped. Discontinue work on food production areas while food is being served to prevent potential contamination.Miscellaneous Sources of Contamination (C) • Service workers observed working on ceiling above sandwich line while food being is being prepped. Discontinue work on food production areas while food is being served to prevent potential contamination.
- ⚠️(A)(1) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Meatballs in hot holding unit at 120F. Reheated to acceptable temperature. Ensure proper hot holding at 135F or above.critical(A)(1) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Meatballs in hot holding unit at 120F. Reheated to acceptable temperature. Ensure proper hot holding at 135F or above.
- ⚠️Ready-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Sliced bagged deli meats observed without date marking in walk in cooler and on production line. Provide date marking for all foods held longer than 24 hours.Ready-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Sliced bagged deli meats observed without date marking in walk in cooler and on production line. Provide date marking for all foods held longer than 24 hours.
- ⚠️(A) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (Pf) • Slicer observed with food debris. Clean to remove.(A) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (Pf) • Slicer observed with food debris. Clean to remove.
When was Potbelly Sandwich Shop last inspected?
Potbelly Sandwich Shop has 12 inspections on record going back to March 15, 2023.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2026 | Pass | |
| June 24, 2026 | Fail | |
| January 27, 2026 | Pass | |
| January 14, 2026 | Fail | |
| January 7, 2026 | Fail | |
| September 17, 2025 | Pass | |
| September 10, 2025 | Fail | |
| February 25, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 20, 2024 | Pass | |
| March 14, 2024 | Fail | |
| January 3, 2024 | — | |
| March 15, 2023 | Pass |
Potbelly Sandwich Shop vs Downtown
Downtown runs 90% clean across 1,016 tracked restaurants — 866 clean, 53 mid, 42 cooked.
Against the 1,016 spots Cooked tracks in Downtown, this one comes out cleaner than 10% of them.
Other spots in Downtown
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 July 1, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.