Brooklyn, NY — Cafe Balearica, located at 44 Berry Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood, received a score of 24 following a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on March 21, 2026. That score places the restaurant at the upper end of the Grade B range, four points below the threshold at which a Grade C would be assigned. The inspection data was released by DOHMH on March 24, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one critical violation during the March visit. The citation — Code 04C — recorded that a food worker did not use a utensil or other barrier to prevent bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food that would not receive additional heat treatment sufficient to eliminate potential contamination.

No non-critical violations were identified during the same inspection cycle.

Bare hand contact violations are classified as critical because they represent a direct pathway for pathogen transfer. Ready-to-eat foods — those served without further cooking — receive no subsequent heat step to reduce bacterial load introduced at the point of handling.

Food Safety Context

NYC Health Code Article 81 governs food safety standards for all permitted food service establishments in New York City. Under these rules, food workers handling ready-to-eat items are required to use single-use gloves, tongs, deli tissue, or other appropriate barriers to prevent direct skin contact with food.

The FDA Food Code, upon which many municipal codes including New York City's are based, identifies bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food as a significant risk factor for foodborne illness. Pathogens such as norovirus and Staphylococcus aureus can be transmitted through this route even when workers show no visible signs of illness.

DOHMH scores violations on a point-weighted system, with critical violations carrying higher point values than non-critical ones. A single critical violation of this category is capable of contributing materially to a restaurant's total score.

Inspection History

Cafe Balearica's prior inspection record shows a notably stronger performance:

  • November 18, 2023: Score 2 (Grade A)

The 2023 inspection resulted in a score well within the Grade A range, indicating the restaurant had previously maintained a high level of compliance. The current score of 24 represents a significant departure from that earlier result.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

DOHMH assigns letter grades based on the total score accumulated during an unannounced inspection:

  • Grade A: Score of 0–13 points
  • Grade B: Score of 14–27 points
  • Grade C: Score of 28 or more points

A score of 24 falls in the upper portion of the Grade B band. Restaurants that receive a B or C grade on an initial inspection may request a re-inspection, at which point a new score is calculated and a grade is assigned based on the re-inspection result.

Consumers can look up current grades and full inspection histories for any permitted restaurant in New York City through the DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results database, available at the NYC Open Data portal.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for Cafe Balearica including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.