Brooklyn, NY — Island Choiz Restaurant, a Caribbean restaurant located at 1792 Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, was closed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) following an inspection conducted on June 25, 2026. Inspectors recorded a score of 47, placing the establishment in C-grade territory under the city's restaurant grading system. The closure came after inspectors documented a critical pest-related violation that required immediate action.

What Inspectors Found

The June 25 inspection produced one critical violation and no non-critical violations. The single cited violation — Code 04N — documented the presence of filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated flies in the establishment's food and non-food areas. Under the city's classification system, filth flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies, and fruit flies.

Code 04N is classified as a critical violation because pest activity in food-handling environments poses a direct risk of contamination. Inspectors noted that violations requiring immediate action were addressed at the time of the inspection, which is standard language used by DOHMH when an establishment takes corrective steps on-site. Despite those on-site corrections, the inspection score of 47 triggered the closure order.

The inspection data was released publicly by DOHMH on June 29, 2026, four days after the inspection took place.

Food Safety Context

Pest control is addressed directly under NYC Health Code Article 81, which governs food service establishments operating in the five boroughs. Article 81 requires that food service operators maintain their premises free of insects, rodents, and other pests, and that they take active measures to prevent pest entry and harborage. The FDA Food Code similarly identifies pest activity as a significant risk factor for foodborne illness, citing the potential for flies to transfer pathogens from contaminated surfaces to food contact surfaces and ready-to-eat foods.

Filth flies are associated with the spread of bacteria including Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter. Their presence in a food preparation or storage area is treated by regulators as a condition requiring immediate correction because of the direct link between fly activity and food contamination risk.

DOHMH inspectors have the authority to order an immediate closure when they determine that conditions present a public health hazard that cannot be adequately resolved during the inspection visit. A closed establishment may not reopen until a reinspection confirms that the conditions leading to closure have been corrected.

Inspection History

Island Choiz Restaurant has a mixed inspection record over the past several years. The most recent prior inspection, conducted on June 10, 2026 — just 15 days before the closure — produced a score of 21, which falls in the B-grade range. That inspection did not result in a closure. The full recent inspection history is as follows:

  • June 10, 2026: Score 21
  • December 18, 2024: Score 19 (Grade B)
  • July 5, 2024: Score 45
  • April 3, 2023: Score 13 (Grade A)
  • March 7, 2023: Score 85
  • September 8, 2022: Score 22 (Grade B)
  • August 29, 2022: Score 68

The record shows considerable variation over time. The restaurant earned a Grade A with a score of 13 in April 2023, but just weeks earlier in March 2023 had scored an 85. Similarly, a Grade B score in December 2024 was followed by a score of 45 the following July. The June 2026 closure follows the same pattern of significant swings between inspection cycles.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's restaurant grading system converts inspection scores into letter grades that are posted publicly at each establishment. The scoring system works as follows:

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

Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations. When an establishment scores above 13 on an initial inspection, it is typically given the opportunity to be re-inspected before a grade is officially posted. If the score on reinspection remains above 13, the corresponding grade is posted at the restaurant. A closed establishment does not receive a posted grade until it passes a reinspection and is permitted to reopen.

A score of 47, as recorded in the June 25 inspection, falls well within C-grade range. Under normal circumstances, a score in this range would result in a C grade being posted. Because the establishment was also ordered closed, however, the reopening and grading process is tied to the outcome of a DOHMH reinspection.

More About This Restaurant

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