Cooked?
El Mexicano Restaurant & Cafe #4
- gradeGrade C
- inspection score42 pts
- critical violations5
- last inspectedMay 28, 2026
- address1013 East 14 Street, Brooklyn 11230
- cuisineMexican
- phone9177899823
Is El Mexicano Restaurant & Cafe #4 clean?
El Mexicano Restaurant & Cafe #4 is currently Grade C from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on May 28, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 5 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.
What did inspectors find at El Mexicano Restaurant & Cafe #4?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 28, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🍲hot food sitting too coolcriticalHot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
- 🍽️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.
- 🌡️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 not cooled down rightcriticalAfter cooking or removal from hot holding, TCS food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal temperature is reduced from 140 °F to 70 °F or less within 2 hours, and from 70 °F to 41 °F or less within 4 additional hours.
- 🚿plumbing acting upAnti-siphonage or back-flow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly. Condensation or liquid waste improperly disposed of.
- 🛠️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.
- 🔪cross-contamination riskcriticalRaw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
When was El Mexicano Restaurant & Cafe #4 last inspected?
El Mexicano Restaurant & Cafe #4 has 6 inspections on record going back to October 30, 2023, averaging 23 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | Grade C | 42 pts |
| March 10, 2026 | no grade issued ⏳ | 20 pts |
| August 28, 2025 | Grade A | 7 pts |
| May 7, 2025 | no grade issued ⏳ | 25 pts |
| April 22, 2024 | Grade A | 12 pts |
| October 30, 2023 | no grade issued ⏳ | 30 pts |
El Mexicano Restaurant & Cafe #4 vs Midwood
Midwood runs 76% clean across 84 tracked restaurants — 58 clean, 7 mid, 11 cooked.
Against the 84 spots Cooked tracks in Midwood, this one comes out cleaner than 4% of them.
Other spots in Midwood
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 28, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.