Zaku

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedSeptember 26, 2025
• address520 Columbus Av, Roxbury 02118

Is Zaku clean?

Zaku is currently Pass from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on September 26, 2025. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Zaku?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 26, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Temperature Measuring Devices-Functionality (C) • Provide a working internal thermometer in the walk in unit
  Temperature Measuring Devices-Functionality (C) • Provide a working internal thermometer in the walk in unit
• ⚠️Nonfood Contact Surfaces (C) • Clean the exterior of the dish machine to remove soils.
  Nonfood Contact Surfaces (C) • Clean the exterior of the dish machine to remove soils.
• ⚠️System Maintained in Good Repair (C) • 3 bay sink observed leaking from under the middle bay.Repair
  System Maintained in Good Repair (C) • 3 bay sink observed leaking from under the middle bay.Repair
• ⚠️Controlling Pests (Pf) • There was evidence of rodent activity observed(droppings & gnawing).Provide a full pest report upon re-inspection.
  Controlling Pests (Pf) • There was evidence of rodent activity observed(droppings & gnawing).Provide a full pest report upon re-inspection.
• ⚠️Removing Dead or Trapped Birds Insects Rodents and other Pest (C) • Remove/replace the soiled glue board with dead insects.
  Removing Dead or Trapped Birds Insects Rodents and other Pest (C) • Remove/replace the soiled glue board with dead insects.
• ⚠️Repairing-Premises Structures Attachments and Fixtures-Methods (C) • Repair the hole under the 3 bay sink & also repair the hole at the exterior window-lower exterior seating
  Repairing-Premises Structures Attachments and Fixtures-Methods (C) • Repair the hole under the 3 bay sink & also repair the hole at the exterior window-lower exterior seating
• ⚠️Cleaning Floors Dustless Methods (C) • Clean the interior walkin floor to remove soils. Clean the floor in the paper storage room to remove evidence of mouse droppings.
  Cleaning Floors Dustless Methods (C) • Clean the interior walkin floor to remove soils. Clean the floor in the paper storage room to remove evidence of mouse droppings.

When was Zaku last inspected?

Zaku has 55 inspections on record going back to October 22, 2015. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Zaku vs South End

South End runs 81% clean across 691 tracked restaurants — 498 clean, 63 mid, 54 cooked.

Against the 691 spots Cooked tracks in South End, this one comes out cleaner than 19% of them.

Other spots in South End

• ✓ Pressed
  clean · June 15, 2017
• ✓ Almany Market
  clean · June 29, 2026
• ✓ Panera Bread
  clean · May 7, 2026
• ✓ Panera Bread
  clean · June 1, 2026
• ✓ Fomu
  clean · October 7, 2025
• ✓ Station News
  clean · February 18, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in South End →

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 September 26, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.