Merrick Jerk

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedJanuary 27, 2025
• inspection score32 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedJuly 14, 2026 →
• address234-18 Merrick Boulevard, Queens 11422
• cuisineCaribbean
• phone7182762123

Is Merrick Jerk clean?

Merrick Jerk currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on January 27, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on July 14, 2026 scoring 32 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 4 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 Merrick Jerk?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 14, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰facility hygiene issuecritical
  Insufficient or no hot holding, cold storage or cold holding equipment provided to maintain Time/Temperature Control for Safety Foods (TCS) at required temperatures
• 🐀rats have moved incritical
  Evidence of rats or live rats in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🌡️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.
• 🐭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.

When was Merrick Jerk last inspected?

Merrick Jerk has 4 inspections on record going back to December 13, 2022, averaging 24 points.

Merrick Jerk vs Laurelton

Laurelton runs 83% clean across 46 tracked restaurants — 34 clean, 0 mid, 7 cooked.

Against the 46 spots Cooked tracks in Laurelton, this one comes out cleaner than 49% of them.

Other spots in Laurelton

• A Erica's Caribbean Cuisine
  clean · November 21, 2025
• A Garden City Chinese Restaurant
  clean · February 11, 2026
• A Crown Fried Chicken
  clean · July 27, 2026
• A Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill
  clean · August 28, 2026
• A Only Rare Nyc
  clean · May 9, 2024
• A Popeyes
  clean · April 30, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Laurelton →

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 July 14, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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