Cooked?Black Forest Brooklyn
- gradeGrade A ⏳
- grade postedAugust 30, 2023
- inspection score22 pts
- critical violations3
- last inspectedMarch 21, 2026 →
- address181 Smith Street, Brooklyn 11201
- cuisineGerman
- phone7185221806
Is Black Forest Brooklyn clean?
Black Forest Brooklyn currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on August 30, 2023 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on March 21, 2026 scoring 22 points — but NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has not ruled on that visit, so no new grade has been issued. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads clean 😇; the numbers above come from the newer visit.
What did inspectors find at Black Forest Brooklyn?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 21, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycriticalFood Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
- 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcriticalCold TCS food item held above 41 °F; smoked or processed fish held above 38 °F; intact raw eggs held above 45 °F; or reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above required temperatures except during active necessary preparation.
- 🍽️food left out / unprotectedcriticalFood, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
When was Black Forest Brooklyn last inspected?
Black Forest Brooklyn has 2 inspections on record going back to August 30, 2023, averaging 16 points.
March 21, 2026 Score 22
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View full inspection →August 30, 2023 A
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View full inspection →Black Forest Brooklyn vs DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill
DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill runs 85% clean across 415 tracked restaurants — 316 clean, 17 mid, 40 cooked.
Against the 415 spots Cooked tracks in DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill, this one comes out cleaner than 65% of them.
Other spots in DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill
See every restaurant inspection in DUMBO-Vinegar Hill-Downtown Brooklyn-Boerum Hill →
How New York grades restaurants
New York City health inspectors score violations in points, and lower is better: 0–13 points earns an A, 14–27 a B, and 28 or more a C. Every restaurant is inspected at least once a year, and the letter has to be posted in the window. A restaurant that scores 14 or more on the first inspection of a cycle does not get a letter right away — it stays “Grade Pending” until a re-inspection settles it, which is why some spots here show an hourglass instead of a letter. Cooked only ever shows a letter the city actually posted; we never infer one from a score.
Read the New York ratings guide →
Inspection findings and available history come from the authority’s published records. Cooked checks daily; publication can lag behind an inspection. Read the date on each result and check the official source for newer information.
Source: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) via NYC Open Data. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated March 21, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.
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