Nostrand Cafe

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedDecember 9, 2024
• inspection score28 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedMay 11, 2026 →
• address261 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn 11216
• cuisineCoffee/Tea
• phone7189758588

Is Nostrand Cafe clean?

Nostrand Cafe currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on December 9, 2024 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on May 11, 2026 scoring 28 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 Nostrand Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 11, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚿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.
• 🌡️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.
• 🧽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.
• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 🍽️food left out / unprotectedcritical
  Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.

When was Nostrand Cafe last inspected?

Nostrand Cafe has 4 inspections on record going back to January 5, 2024, averaging 14 points.

Nostrand Cafe vs Bedford

Bedford runs 79% clean across 206 tracked restaurants — 142 clean, 10 mid, 27 cooked.

Against the 206 spots Cooked tracks in Bedford, this one comes out cleaner than 21% of them.

Other spots in Bedford

• A El Jeffe
  clean · December 9, 2024
• A Mirakuya
  clean · September 4, 2025
• B Espinal Deli & Grocery
  mid · October 3, 2025
• A Home Frite
  clean · April 4, 2026
• A Little Roy Coffee Co
  clean · April 9, 2026
• A Bombay Heights
  clean · August 12, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Bedford →

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 May 11, 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.