Cooked?
The Black Whale
- gradeGrade A
- inspection score9 pts
- critical violations1
- last inspectedOctober 9, 2025
- address279 City Island Avenue, Bronx 10464
- cuisineAmerican
- phone7188853657
Is The Black Whale clean?
The Black Whale is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on October 9, 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 The Black Whale?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 9, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeNon-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.
- 🛠️facility / equipment issueMechanical or natural ventilation not provided, inadequate, improperly installed, in disrepair or fails to prevent and control excessive build-up of grease, heat, steam condensation, vapors, odors, smoke or fumes.
- 🍽️food left out / unprotectedcriticalFood, 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 The Black Whale last inspected?
The Black Whale has 2 inspections on record going back to January 3, 2024, averaging 6 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| October 9, 2025 | Grade A | 9 pts |
| January 3, 2024 | Grade A | 2 pts |
The Black Whale vs Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island
Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island runs 84% clean across 73 tracked restaurants — 57 clean, 3 mid, 8 cooked.
Against the 73 spots Cooked tracks in Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island, this one comes out cleaner than 69% of them.
Other spots in Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island
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Illusions Hookah & Mixology Lounge
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Sushi Q
See every restaurant inspection in Pelham Bay-Country Club-City Island →
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 October 9, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.