El Tequilazo

• gradeGrade C ⏳
• grade postedJuly 7, 2025
• inspection score36 pts
• critical violations5
• last inspectedFebruary 3, 2026 →
• address172-37 Hillside Avenue, Queens 11432
• cuisineSpanish
• phone6462583075

Is El Tequilazo clean?

El Tequilazo currently carries Grade C ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on July 7, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on February 3, 2026 scoring 36 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 cooked 🪳; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at El Tequilazo?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 3, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Non-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.
• 🧤food-handling slipcritical
  Tobacco or electronic cigarette use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area.
• 🪰flies in the housecritical
  Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage associated with (FRSA) flies or other nuisance pests in establishment’s food and/or non-food areas. FRSA flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies.
• 🚿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.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🧫equipment / surface issue
  Thawing procedure improper.
• ⚠️Current letter grade or Grade Pending card not posted
• 🪳roaches are dining toocritical
  Live roaches in facility's food or non-food area.
• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🕳️conditions that attract pests
  Garbage receptacle not pest or water resistant, with tight-fitting lids, and covered except while in active use. Garbage receptacle and cover not cleaned after emptying and prior to reuse. Garbage, refuse and other solid and liquid waste not collected, stored, removed and disposed of so as to prevent a nuisance.

When was El Tequilazo last inspected?

El Tequilazo has 4 inspections on record going back to October 30, 2023, averaging 27 points.

El Tequilazo vs Jamaica Estates-Holliswood

Jamaica Estates-Holliswood runs 82% clean across 55 tracked restaurants — 42 clean, 1 mid, 8 cooked.

Against the 55 spots Cooked tracks in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood

• A Cooked Klean
  clean · December 5, 2025
• A Papa John's
  clean · July 21, 2026
• A Cold Crush
  clean · August 6, 2026
• A Dal & Chal Premium Sweets
  clean · November 1, 2025
• A Ganda Sushi
  clean · February 10, 2026
• B Just Halal Fusion
  mid · January 22, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Jamaica Estates-Holliswood →

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 3, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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