Cooked?
El Zocalo
- gradeGrade A
- inspection score12 pts
- critical violations2
- last inspectedApril 18, 2026
- address40-10 83 Street, Queens 11373
- cuisineLatin American
- phone9294243436
Is El Zocalo clean?
El Zocalo is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on April 18, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at El Zocalo?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 18, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Flavored tobacco products sold, offered for saleFlavored tobacco products sold, offered for sale
- 🧼staff skipping handwashingcriticalPersonal 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.
- ⚠️Sign prohibiting smoking or using electronic cigarettes not conspicuously posted.Sign prohibiting smoking or using electronic cigarettes not conspicuously posted.
- 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedcriticalFood contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
When was El Zocalo last inspected?
El Zocalo has 2 inspections on record going back to October 4, 2024, averaging 24 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 18, 2026 | Grade A | 12 pts |
| October 4, 2024 | no grade issued ⏳ | 35 pts |
El Zocalo vs Elmhurst
Elmhurst runs 73% clean across 290 tracked restaurants — 203 clean, 36 mid, 40 cooked.
Against the 290 spots Cooked tracks in Elmhurst, this one comes out cleaner than 33% of them.
Other spots in Elmhurst
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 April 18, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.