El Rincon

• inspection score82 pts
• critical violations7
• last inspectedOctober 21, 2025 →
• address176-01 Jamaica Avenue, Queens 11432
• cuisineLatin American
• phone7184801013

Is El Rincon clean?

El Rincon is currently listed as closed by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), as of its inspection on October 21, 2025. That inspection scored 82 points and cited 7 critical violations. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.

What did inspectors find at El Rincon?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 21, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧽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.
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  No hand washing facility in or adjacent to toilet room or within 25 feet of a food preparation, food service or ware washing area. Hand washing facility not accessible, obstructed or used for non-hand washing purposes. No hot and cold running water or water at inadequate pressure. No soap or acceptable hand-drying device.
• 🧼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.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
• 🐀rats have moved incritical
  Evidence of rats or live rats in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
• 🗑️garbage situation out of pocket
  Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Anti-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.
• 🔪cross-contamination riskcritical
  Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
• 🪳roaches are dining toocritical
  Live roaches in facility's food or non-food area.

When was El Rincon last inspected?

El Rincon has 5 inspections on record going back to January 21, 2025, averaging 63 points.

El Rincon vs Jamaica

Jamaica runs 75% clean across 233 tracked restaurants — 154 clean, 17 mid, 34 cooked.

Against the 233 spots Cooked tracks in Jamaica, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Jamaica

• A The Connect Bar
  clean · November 19, 2025
• A La Cabana Peruvian Restaurant
  clean · April 22, 2025
• A El Rincon Hondureno
  clean · December 4, 2025
• ⏳ El Comal Restaurant
  cooked · March 17, 2026
• B 786 Peri Peri Grill
  mid · December 15, 2025
• A Nexo Nutrition Club
  clean · April 8, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Jamaica →

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 October 21, 2025. 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.