Brooklyn, NY — Guatemex, a Mexican restaurant located at 4415 18th Avenue in Brooklyn, was closed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) following an inspection conducted on June 15, 2026. Inspectors recorded a score of 59, placing the establishment firmly in C-grade territory under the city's restaurant grading system. The closure was ordered after violations were cited and those requiring immediate action were addressed on site.

The inspection data was released by DOHMH on June 17, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors cited two violations during the June 15 visit — one critical and one non-critical.

The critical violation, recorded under Code 06C, found that food, supplies, or equipment were not adequately protected from potential sources of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, or service. Specifically, inspectors noted that condiments were not being provided in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor. This type of violation raises concerns about cross-contamination, as shared or refillable condiment containers can allow bacteria to transfer between customers or from external sources to food items being served.

The non-critical violation, recorded under Code 08A, found that the establishment was not free of harborage conditions or circumstances conducive to rodents, insects, or other pests. This type of finding indicates that structural or sanitary conditions existed within or around the facility that could allow pests to shelter or breed. While classified as non-critical, pest-related conditions are treated seriously under city health code because they can escalate into more significant food safety risks if left unaddressed.

Together, the two violations produced a score of 59, which significantly exceeds the threshold for a C grade.

Food Safety Context

NYC Health Code Article 81 governs food service establishments operating within the five boroughs and sets standards for food handling, storage, employee hygiene, facility maintenance, and pest prevention. The regulations are designed to reduce the risk of foodborne illness and ensure that restaurants maintain conditions safe for food preparation and service.

The FDA Food Code, which serves as the national model that New York City's rules are based on, classifies violations involving contamination risks — such as the condiment handling issue cited at Guatemex — as priority violations, meaning they have a direct relationship to factors that could cause foodborne illness if left uncorrected.

The Code 08A violation reflects requirements under Article 81 that restaurants maintain their facilities free from conditions that attract or support pest activity. This includes sealing gaps in walls, floors, and ceilings, properly managing waste, and ensuring storage areas do not create environments where rodents or insects can establish harborage. When these conditions are documented during an inspection, they signal that preventive maintenance protocols may not be consistently followed.

When an inspection results in a closure order, DOHMH requires that any immediately hazardous conditions be corrected before the establishment may resume operations. The closure does not necessarily indicate that violations were ongoing for an extended period, but rather that the conditions observed at the time of the inspection warranted removal from service until corrections were made.

Inspection History

According to data released by DOHMH, no prior inspection history is available for Guatemex. This may indicate that the restaurant is a recently opened establishment, that prior records are not yet reflected in the publicly available dataset, or that the restaurant has not previously been inspected under its current permit.

The absence of a prior inspection record means there is no historical baseline available for comparison. As the restaurant's inspection history develops, future records will provide additional context about whether the conditions identified on June 15 represent an isolated occurrence or a pattern.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City uses a letter-grade system to communicate inspection results to the public. Grades are determined by the numerical score assigned during an inspection, with lower scores reflecting fewer or less severe violations:

  • A: Score of 0 to 13 points — indicates a high standard of compliance
  • B: Score of 14 to 27 points — indicates some violations were found
  • C: Score of 28 points or more — indicates more significant violations were documented

A score of 59 falls well above the C-grade threshold of 28 points. Restaurants that receive a score above 13 on an initial inspection are typically re-inspected within a month. Grades must be posted in a location visible to the public at the entrance to the restaurant.

When a restaurant is closed by DOHMH, it must pass a reinspection before it is permitted to reopen. The timeline for reinspection varies depending on how quickly the operator can demonstrate that violations have been corrected.

Inspection records for all NYC restaurants are publicly available through the DOHMH restaurant inspection results database at nyc.gov/health. Residents can search by restaurant name, address, or cuisine type to review current and historical inspection data.

More About This Restaurant

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