Mela's Cafe

• gradeGrade B ⏳
• grade postedJuly 14, 2025
• inspection score22 pts
• critical violations2
• last inspectedAugust 18, 2026 →
• address1735 Washington Avenue, Bronx 10457
• cuisineSpanish
• phone7189012181

Is Mela's Cafe clean?

Mela's Cafe currently carries Grade B ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on July 14, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on August 18, 2026 scoring 22 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 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads mid 😬; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at Mela's Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 18, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧫equipment / surface issue
  Swollen, leaking, rusted or otherwise damaged canned food to be returned to distributor not segregated from intact product and clearly labeled DO NOT USE
• 🧽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.
• 🚿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 / 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.
• 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcritical
  Cold TCS food item held above 41 °F; smoked or processed fish held above 38 °F; intact raw eggs held above 45 °F; or reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above required temperatures except during active necessary preparation.

When was Mela's Cafe last inspected?

Mela's Cafe has 4 inspections on record going back to September 25, 2023, averaging 25 points.

Mela's Cafe vs Claremont-Bathgate

Claremont-Bathgate runs 78% clean across 42 tracked restaurants — 28 clean, 3 mid, 5 cooked.

Against the 42 spots Cooked tracks in Claremont-Bathgate, this one comes out cleaner than 14% of them.

Other spots in Claremont-Bathgate

• A Mcdonald's
  clean · June 23, 2026
• A Dunkin', Baskin Robbins
  clean · August 28, 2026
• A Adaya African American Restaurant
  clean · April 7, 2025
• B Bella Pizza Of Bronx
  mid · September 5, 2025
• A Tina Restaurant
  clean · November 16, 2022
• A China Wok King Corp
  clean · August 3, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Claremont-Bathgate →

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 August 18, 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.