Cooked?
The Purple Shell
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedAugust 1, 2024
- address11 W Broadway, South Boston 02127
Is The Purple Shell clean?
The Purple Shell is currently Pass from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on August 1, 2024. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at The Purple Shell?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 1, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️(A) Certified Food Protection Manager (C) • Expired food safety certificate. Provide(A) Certified Food Protection Manager (C) • Expired food safety certificate. Provide
- ⚠️Sanitizing Solutions Testing Devices (Pf) • Missing testing device for low temp dishmachine. ProvideSanitizing Solutions Testing Devices (Pf) • Missing testing device for low temp dishmachine. Provide
- ⚠️(B) and (C) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (C) • Exterior of refrigeration units observed with heavy food soils. Clean to remove Interior of all refrigeration and freezer units observed with food spills and debris. Clean to remove. Exterior of dishmachine with heavy debris and food soils. Clean to remove Exterior of rice cooker with food soils and debris clean to remove.(B) and (C) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (C) • Exterior of refrigeration units observed with heavy food soils. Clean to remove Interior of all refrigeration and freezer units observed with food spills and debris. Clean to remove. Exterior of dishmachine with heavy debris and food soils. Clean to remove Exterior of rice cooker with food soils and debris clean to remove.
- ⚠️Using a Handwashing Sink-Operation and Maintenance (Pf) • Observed soiled equipment and food soils inside designated handsinks. Retrain staff on proper use of handsinksUsing a Handwashing Sink-Operation and Maintenance (Pf) • Observed soiled equipment and food soils inside designated handsinks. Retrain staff on proper use of handsinks
- ⚠️Handwashing Cleanser Availability (Pf) • Multiple handsinks missing soap. Provide at all timesHandwashing Cleanser Availability (Pf) • Multiple handsinks missing soap. Provide at all times
- ⚠️Handwashing Signage (C) • Handsink at bar missing signage. ProvideHandwashing Signage (C) • Handsink at bar missing signage. Provide
- ⚠️Controlling Pests (C) • Observed rodent activity behind refrigeration units and next to fryer. Clean to remove and provide updated pest control reportControlling Pests (C) • Observed rodent activity behind refrigeration units and next to fryer. Clean to remove and provide updated pest control report
- ⚠️Conformance with Approved Procedures (Pf) • Logging of sushi accidification not logged per proper guidelines since 7/1/24. Advised pic to retrain staff to log properly daily.Conformance with Approved Procedures (Pf) • Logging of sushi accidification not logged per proper guidelines since 7/1/24. Advised pic to retrain staff to log properly daily.
When was The Purple Shell last inspected?
The Purple Shell has 25 inspections on record going back to February 24, 2020. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| October 31, 2024 | — | |
| August 1, 2024 | Pass | |
| July 24, 2024 | Fail | |
| February 27, 2024 | Pass | |
| February 20, 2024 | Fail | |
| January 3, 2024 | — | |
| September 28, 2023 | Pass | |
| March 9, 2023 | closed by the city | |
| February 5, 2023 | closed by the city | |
| February 3, 2023 | — | |
| January 3, 2023 | Fail | |
| December 28, 2022 | Fail |
The Purple Shell vs Chinatown
Chinatown runs 85% clean across 307 tracked restaurants — 252 clean, 22 mid, 22 cooked.
Against the 307 spots Cooked tracks in Chinatown, this one comes out cleaner than 15% of them.
Other spots in Chinatown
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 1, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.