Penelope Mexican Bistro

• gradeGrade A
• inspection score10 pts
• critical violations1
• last inspectedApril 24, 2025
• address338 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn 11238
• cuisineMexican
• phone7184838105

Is Penelope Mexican Bistro clean?

Penelope Mexican Bistro is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on April 24, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Penelope Mexican Bistro?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 24, 2025, 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.
• 🍴utensils stored sketchycritical
  Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
• 🛠️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.

When was Penelope Mexican Bistro last inspected?

Penelope Mexican Bistro has 1 inspection on record going back to April 24, 2025, averaging 10 points.

Penelope Mexican Bistro vs Bedford

Bedford runs 79% clean across 203 tracked restaurants — 141 clean, 13 mid, 24 cooked.

Against the 203 spots Cooked tracks in Bedford, this one comes out cleaner than 60% of them.

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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 24, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.