Cooked?
El Buen Sabor
- gradeGrade A
- inspection score12 pts
- critical violations1
- last inspectedSeptember 4, 2025
- address96-07 Metropolitan Avenue, Queens 11375
- cuisineLatin American
- phone3474805052
Is El Buen Sabor clean?
El Buen Sabor is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on September 4, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at El Buen Sabor?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 4, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Failure to display required signage about plastic straw availabilityFailure to display required signage about plastic straw availability
- ⚠️Allergen or intolerance notice not translated into common language when requiredAllergen or intolerance notice not translated into common language when required
- ⚠️Providing single-use, non-compostable plastic straws to customers without customer request (including providing such straws at a self-serve station)Providing single-use, non-compostable plastic straws to customers without customer request (including providing such straws at a self-serve station)
- 🌡️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.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeNon-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
When was El Buen Sabor last inspected?
El Buen Sabor has 2 inspections on record going back to July 24, 2025, averaging 38 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| September 4, 2025 | Grade A | 12 pts |
| July 24, 2025 | no grade issued ⏳ | 63 pts |
El Buen Sabor vs Forest Hills
Forest Hills runs 78% clean across 249 tracked restaurants — 175 clean, 17 mid, 32 cooked.
Against the 249 spots Cooked tracks in Forest Hills, this one comes out cleaner than 46% of them.
Other spots in Forest Hills
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.
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 September 4, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.