Cooked?
Elsa Restaurant La Reina Del Chicharron
- gradeGrade A ⏳
- inspection score13 pts
- critical violations2
- last inspectedDecember 9, 2024
- address1249 St Nicholas Avenue, Manhattan 10032
- cuisineLatin American
- phone2127953667
Is Elsa Restaurant La Reina Del Chicharron clean?
Elsa Restaurant La Reina Del Chicharron is currently Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on December 9, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇. There is a newer inspection the city has not ruled on yet, so the posted grade still stands for now.
What did inspectors find at Elsa Restaurant La Reina Del Chicharron?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 9, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🍲hot food sitting too coolcriticalHot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
- 🧼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.
When was Elsa Restaurant La Reina Del Chicharron last inspected?
Elsa Restaurant La Reina Del Chicharron has 4 inspections on record going back to May 11, 2023, averaging 22 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2026 | no grade issued ⏳ | 18 pts |
| December 9, 2024 | Grade A | 13 pts |
| October 24, 2024 | no grade issued ⏳ | 50 pts |
| May 11, 2023 | Grade A | 8 pts |
Elsa Restaurant La Reina Del Chicharron vs Washington Heights South
Washington Heights South runs 75% clean across 208 tracked restaurants — 137 clean, 12 mid, 33 cooked.
Against the 208 spots Cooked tracks in Washington Heights South, this one comes out cleaner than 25% of them.
Other spots in Washington Heights South
-
A
Tu Sonrisa
-
A
El Panadero Bakery
-
A
Tropical Spanish Cuisine
-
A
Wimpy's Restaurant
-
A
5 Estrella Bakery
-
A
Mike's Bagels
See every restaurant inspection in Washington Heights South →
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 December 9, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.