Wabora

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedAugust 30, 2019
• address254 Newbury St, Boston 02116

Is Wabora clean?

Wabora is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on August 30, 2019. 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 Wabora?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 30, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Where to Wash (Pf) • Observed employee rinsing hands at food prep sink
  Where to Wash (Pf) • Observed employee rinsing hands at food prep sink
• ⚠️Clean-up of Vomiting and Diarrheal Events (Pf) • No written procedures for responding to and clean up of vomitting and diarrheal incidents
  Clean-up of Vomiting and Diarrheal Events (Pf) • No written procedures for responding to and clean up of vomitting and diarrheal incidents
• ⚠️Assignment (Pf) • Ph kit for sushi rice out of date Multiple Priority Priority Foundation and Core and repeat violations noted on the inspection. Evidence that the PIC is not overseeing day to day operations to ensure establishment operates in a safe and sanitary manner - Employees have not been trained in food safety and sanitation as it relates to their assigned duties per code.
  Assignment (Pf) • Ph kit for sushi rice out of date Multiple Priority Priority Foundation and Core and repeat violations noted on the inspection. Evidence that the PIC is not overseeing day to day operations to ensure establishment operates in a safe and sanitary manner - Employees have not been trained in food safety and sanitation as it relates to their assigned duties per code.
• ⚠️Ready-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Not date marking food items that are prepared more than 24 hrs in advance
  Ready-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Not date marking food items that are prepared more than 24 hrs in advance
• ⚠️Food Labels (C) • Food containers not labeled with common name
  Food Labels (C) • Food containers not labeled with common name
• ⚠️Characteristics-Materials for Construction and Repair (C) • Cracked splash guard at hand sink - Sushi bar/wait station area Using pink kettles that are not NSF approved for commercial use Chipped paint on exterior of chest type freezer and built up ice on interior (unit is not NSF approved for commercial use
  Characteristics-Materials for Construction and Repair (C) • Cracked splash guard at hand sink - Sushi bar/wait station area Using pink kettles that are not NSF approved for commercial use Chipped paint on exterior of chest type freezer and built up ice on interior (unit is not NSF approved for commercial use
• ⚠️Manual and Mechanical Warewashing Equipment Chemical Sanitization-Temperature pH Concentration and Hardness (P) • Low temp dish machine Chlorine 0 PPM - Dish washing company called 3 bay sink - Chlorine 0 PPM - PIC took corrective action (100 PPM at end of inspection)critical
  Manual and Mechanical Warewashing Equipment Chemical Sanitization-Temperature pH Concentration and Hardness (P) • Low temp dish machine Chlorine 0 PPM - Dish washing company called 3 bay sink - Chlorine 0 PPM - PIC took corrective action (100 PPM at end of inspection)
• ⚠️Cutting Surfaces (C) • Worn cutting boards - Kitchen/prep/ware washing/sushi bar
  Cutting Surfaces (C) • Worn cutting boards - Kitchen/prep/ware washing/sushi bar
• ⚠️Maintaining Refuse Areas and Enclosures (C) • Grease and soils on ground area
  Maintaining Refuse Areas and Enclosures (C) • Grease and soils on ground area
• ⚠️Outside Receptacles (C) • Built up and encrusted soils on waste receptacles Built up and encrusted soils and grease on grease shed
  Outside Receptacles (C) • Built up and encrusted soils on waste receptacles Built up and encrusted soils and grease on grease shed
• ⚠️Floors Walls and Ceilings Utility Lines (C) • Built up and encrusted soils on floor walls attachments thoughout - Kitchen/prep/ware washing/sushi bar/wait station Built up and encrusted soils and grease on grease trap under 3 bay sink
  Floors Walls and Ceilings Utility Lines (C) • Built up and encrusted soils on floor walls attachments thoughout - Kitchen/prep/ware washing/sushi bar/wait station Built up and encrusted soils and grease on grease trap under 3 bay sink
• ⚠️Controlling Pests (Pf) • Evidence of flies in dining area ware washing kitchen sushi bar Provide full extermination and IPM report prior to reinspection
  Controlling Pests (Pf) • Evidence of flies in dining area ware washing kitchen sushi bar Provide full extermination and IPM report prior to reinspection
• ⚠️Storing Maintenance Tools (C) • Mops brooms etc not raise 6 inches above the floor on hook or rack
  Storing Maintenance Tools (C) • Mops brooms etc not raise 6 inches above the floor on hook or rack
• ⚠️Maintaining Premises Unnecessary Items and Litter (C) • Unused unnecessary and clutter in kitchen/prep ware washing area
  Maintaining Premises Unnecessary Items and Litter (C) • Unused unnecessary and clutter in kitchen/prep ware washing area

When was Wabora last inspected?

Wabora has 28 inspections on record going back to June 18, 2015. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Wabora vs Back Bay

Back Bay runs 81% clean across 519 tracked restaurants — 417 clean, 46 mid, 50 cooked.

Against the 519 spots Cooked tracks in Back Bay, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Back Bay

• ✓ Sweetgreen
  clean · February 4, 2026
• ✓ Wens Rice Noodle & Ramen
  clean · March 31, 2026
• ✓ Sugarfina
  clean · April 25, 2017
• ✕ Papa Razzi Trattoria Bar
  mid · October 1, 2019
• ✓ Island Creek Oysters
  clean · November 25, 2015
• ✓ Bailey And Sage
  clean · June 13, 2016

See every restaurant inspection in Back Bay →

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, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.