El Huasteco Mexican Food

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedOctober 28, 2024
• inspection score33 pts
• critical violations5
• last inspectedMay 14, 2026
• address347A-347B Empire Blvd, Brooklyn 11225
• cuisineMexican
• phone6616276320

Is El Huasteco Mexican Food clean?

El Huasteco Mexican Food currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on October 28, 2024 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on May 14, 2026 scoring 33 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 5 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 El Huasteco Mexican Food?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 14, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🍴utensils stored sketchycritical
  Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
• 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcritical
  Cold 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.
• 🧼staff skipping handwashingcritical
  Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedcritical
  Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• 🪳roaches are dining toocritical
  Live roaches in facility's food or non-food area.

When was El Huasteco Mexican Food last inspected?

El Huasteco Mexican Food has 3 inspections on record going back to September 26, 2024, averaging 31 points.

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 May 14, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.