3 Brooklyn Restaurants Received Grade B Scores on April 2

New York, NY — Three Brooklyn restaurants were assigned Grade B scores following inspections conducted on April 2, 2026, according to New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene records. The establishments, located across the Williamsburg and Coney Island neighborhoods, recorded scores between 19 and 20 points — placing each within the Grade B range under the city's restaurant grading system. None of the scores indicate an immediate public health emergency, but each establishment is required to correct the documented violations.

The Inspections

In Williamsburg's busy dining corridor along Grand Street, The Last Call received a score of 20. The Japanese-cuisine establishment at 588 Grand Street was cited for a critical violation: sanitized equipment or utensils, including in-use food dispensing utensils, were found to be improperly used or stored. Under NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, properly stored and handled food-contact surfaces are essential to preventing cross-contamination. Because The Last Call's grade is currently listed as N — meaning the letter grade is not yet posted — the restaurant may request a re-inspection before a final grade is issued.

A short distance away at 178 North 8th Street, Santa Fe Bk — a Southwestern restaurant — also recorded a score of 20. Inspectors noted that the establishment was not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects, or other pests. This type of violation, while non-critical in its classification, points to structural or environmental conditions that can attract vermin if left unaddressed. Santa Fe Bk's grade is currently listed as Pending, which typically indicates the restaurant is in the process of either correcting violations or scheduling a compliance inspection.

In Coney Island, Panda Chinese Restaurant at 2807 Mermaid Avenue received a score of 19 — the lowest of the three and the closest to the Grade A threshold. However, the single violation recorded was critical: inspectors found evidence of mice or live mice in the establishment's food or non-food areas. Under NYC Health Code, evidence of rodent activity in any area of a food service establishment constitutes a critical violation due to the potential for contamination of food, food preparation surfaces, and stored goods. Panda's grade is also currently listed as Pending.

Common Patterns

All three inspections on April 2 surfaced violations that fall into two broad categories: food safety equipment handling and pest or harborage conditions. Two of the three restaurants — Panda Chinese Restaurant and Santa Fe Bk — were cited for violations related to pest activity or conditions that invite pests. This is a pattern health officials track closely, particularly as warmer spring months can increase pest pressure in food service environments.

The restaurants span three distinct cuisine categories — Japanese, Southwestern, and Chinese — suggesting that the violations documented on this date were not specific to any one type of kitchen operation or food handling practice. Geographically, two of the three establishments are clustered in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn along the 11211 zip code corridor, while Panda Chinese Restaurant is located further south in the Coney Island area.

All three establishments received scores that, while qualifying as Grade B, are in the lower portion of that range. The average score across the three inspections was 19.7 points, just above the 14-point threshold where Grade B begins.

What This Means for Diners

A Grade B does not mean a restaurant is unsafe to visit, but it does signal that corrections are required. Under the NYC grading system, restaurants that score in the Grade B range are typically given the opportunity to address violations before a final grade card is required to be posted. Diners can check the current inspection status of any NYC restaurant through the city's public restaurant inspection database.

For the two restaurants currently listed as Pending — Santa Fe Bk and Panda Chinese Restaurant — a follow-up inspection will determine whether the grade posted in the window will be a B or, if violations have been corrected, potentially an A. The Last Call, graded N, has the option to request a re-inspection under the city's adjudication process.

Inspectors from the NYC Department of Health conduct unannounced visits to the city's roughly 27,000 food service establishments at least once per year. Restaurants that score 28 or above are subject to a re-inspection within 30 days.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City uses a points-based system to grade restaurant cleanliness and food safety compliance. Each violation carries a set point value, and lower scores indicate fewer or less serious violations:

• Grade A: 0 to 13 points — the highest standard of compliance
• Grade B: 14 to 27 points — violations present but no immediate health hazard
• Grade C: 28 or more points — significant violations requiring prompt correction

Critical violations — such as evidence of rodent activity or improper handling of food-contact surfaces — carry higher point values than general violations and can move a score meaningfully within or across grade boundaries. Establishments are required to post their letter grade in a visible location near the entrance.

Diners can look up current and historical inspection records for any NYC restaurant through the NYC Open Data restaurant inspections portal or through NYCRestaurantInspections.com, which provides searchable inspection histories by restaurant name, neighborhood, cuisine type, and violation category.