El Rey

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedSeptember 19, 2024
• inspection score32 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedFebruary 6, 2026 →
• address25-21 Astoria Boulevard, Queens 11102
• cuisineMexican
• phone7185452292

Is El Rey clean?

El Rey currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on September 19, 2024 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on February 6, 2026 scoring 32 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 4 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 Rey?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 6, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️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.
• 🦪shellfish with no paper trailcritical
  Shellfish not from approved source, not or improperly tagged/labeled; tags not retained for 90 days.
• 🧽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.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.

When was El Rey last inspected?

El Rey has 3 inspections on record going back to April 27, 2023, averaging 19 points.

El Rey vs Old Astoria

Old Astoria runs 88% clean across 91 tracked restaurants — 71 clean, 4 mid, 6 cooked.

Against the 91 spots Cooked tracks in Old Astoria, this one comes out cleaner than 19% of them.

Other spots in Old Astoria

• A Half & Half
  clean · March 6, 2025
• A Wake Cup Astoria
  clean · March 30, 2026
• A Veracruzano
  clean · September 25, 2025
• A Vela Juice Bar
  clean · October 31, 2025
• A Notable
  clean · June 8, 2026
• A Agenda
  clean · September 24, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Old 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 February 6, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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Cooked covers 10 cities on official inspection data — see who's clean, mid, or cooked near you.