The Calaveras

• gradeGrade C ⏳
• grade postedOctober 29, 2025
• inspection score25 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedFebruary 3, 2026 →
• address949 Columbus Avenue, Manhattan 10025
• cuisineMexican
• phone6464846533

Is The Calaveras clean?

The Calaveras currently carries Grade C ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on October 29, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on February 3, 2026 scoring 25 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 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads cooked 🪳; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at The Calaveras?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 3, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
• ⚠️Current letter grade or Grade Pending card not posted
• 🧽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.

When was The Calaveras last inspected?

The Calaveras has 5 inspections on record going back to December 20, 2023, averaging 28 points.

The Calaveras vs Morningside Heights

Morningside Heights runs 77% clean across 198 tracked restaurants — 133 clean, 13 mid, 27 cooked.

Against the 198 spots Cooked tracks in Morningside Heights, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Morningside Heights

• A Barnard College Hewitt Dining Hall
  clean · January 27, 2026
• A Barnard College - Diana's Center Cafe
  clean · February 10, 2026
• A Barnard College - Milstein Center Peets Coffee
  clean · September 9, 2024
• A Barnard College - Liz's Place
  clean · May 12, 2026
• A The Expat
  clean · May 15, 2025
• A Wu & Nussbaum
  clean · March 19, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Morningside Heights →

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 February 3, 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.