El Viejo Gran Cafe

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedSeptember 10, 2025
• inspection score31 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedOctober 6, 2026 →
• address498 East 138 Street, Bronx 10454
• cuisineSpanish
• phone7189933932

Is El Viejo Gran Cafe clean?

El Viejo Gran Cafe currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on September 10, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on October 6, 2026 scoring 31 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 Viejo Gran Cafe?

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

• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🚿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.
• 🧽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.
• 🗑️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.
• 🧊food not cooled down rightcritical
  After 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.
• 🧫food contact surfaces dirty
  Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.

When was El Viejo Gran Cafe last inspected?

El Viejo Gran Cafe has 9 inspections on record going back to September 20, 2022, averaging 21 points.

Graded visits shown below · newest first · tap a date for the record

El Viejo Gran Cafe vs Mott Haven-Port Morris

Mott Haven-Port Morris runs 70% clean across 139 tracked restaurants — 89 clean, 12 mid, 27 cooked.

Against the 139 spots Cooked tracks in Mott Haven-Port Morris, this one comes out cleaner than 63% of them.

Other spots in Mott Haven-Port Morris

• ? Villa Tapia Restaurant
  cooked · July 10, 2024
• ⏳ Madison Cafe
  cooked · September 17, 2026
• A Texas Chicken & Burgers
  clean · September 25, 2026
• A Tepangos Pizza & Mexican Food
  clean · August 25, 2026
• C Xime Restaurant
  cooked · June 22, 2026
• A Relish Caterers
  clean · September 27, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Mott Haven-Port Morris →

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 6, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

check your own block 📸

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