Tropical Jerk

• gradeGrade C
• inspection score47 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedApril 28, 2026
• address217-95 Hempstead Avenue, Queens 11429
• cuisineCaribbean
• phone7187366500

Is Tropical Jerk clean?

Tropical Jerk is currently Grade C from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on April 28, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 4 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Tropical Jerk?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 28, 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.
• 🚿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.
• 🪰flies in the housecritical
  Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage associated with (FRSA) flies or other nuisance pests in establishment’s food and/or non-food areas. FRSA flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
• 🧽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.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🛠️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 Tropical Jerk last inspected?

Tropical Jerk has 5 inspections on record going back to February 16, 2024, averaging 33 points.

Tropical Jerk vs Queens Village

Queens Village runs 76% clean across 77 tracked restaurants — 54 clean, 5 mid, 12 cooked.

Against the 77 spots Cooked tracks in Queens Village, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Queens Village

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• A Hibiscus Restaurant & Lounge Ii
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• A Happy Kitchen
  clean · February 19, 2026
• A Peking Chinese Restaurant
  clean · January 8, 2025
• A Foy Juice Bar & Eatery
  clean · March 9, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Queens Village →

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 28, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.