Cooked?El Mero Mero
- gradeGrade A ⏳
- grade postedDecember 19, 2024
- inspection score23 pts
- critical violations3
- last inspectedMay 13, 2026 →
- address35-57 38 Street, Queens 11101
- cuisineMexican
- phone7183922444
Is El Mero Mero clean?
El Mero Mero currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on December 19, 2024 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on May 13, 2026 scoring 23 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 El Mero Mero?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 13, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🍽️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.
- 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycriticalFood Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
- 🍲hot food sitting too coolcriticalHot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
When was El Mero Mero last inspected?
El Mero Mero has 3 inspections on record going back to January 2, 2024, averaging 19 points.
May 13, 2026 Score 23
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View full inspection →December 19, 2024 A
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View full inspection →January 2, 2024 Score 22
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View full inspection →El Mero Mero vs Astoria
Astoria runs 73% clean across 509 tracked restaurants — 326 clean, 41 mid, 77 cooked.
Against the 509 spots Cooked tracks in Astoria, this one comes out cleaner than 53% of them.
Other spots in Astoria
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 May 13, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.
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