Brooklyn, NY — Kevin's, a seafood restaurant at 277 Van Brunt Avenue in Brooklyn, received a Grade C following a health inspection conducted on March 21, 2026. The inspection, carried out by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), recorded a score of 34, placing the establishment in the Grade C category. Inspection data was released publicly on March 23, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one violation during the March inspection. The cited condition falls under Code 08A, which addresses establishments that are not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects, or other pests.

Classified as a non-critical violation, Code 08A covers structural or environmental conditions — such as gaps, cracks, clutter, or improper storage practices — that may attract or permit entry to pests. The presence of such conditions is sufficient to trigger the violation under DOHMH protocols, regardless of whether active pest activity was directly observed at the time of inspection.

A single violation carrying a score of 34 places the restaurant in Grade C range. Under DOHMH's scoring system, point values assigned to individual violations reflect the nature, scope, and potential risk level of each condition identified.

Food Safety Context

Under NYC Health Code Article 81, all food service establishments operating in New York City are required to maintain their premises free of conditions that may harbor or attract pests. The FDA Food Code establishes parallel requirements, directing facilities to prevent pest entry and eliminate environmental conditions that sustain pest populations.

Pest-related violations are taken seriously in food safety inspections because rodents, cockroaches, and other pests can contaminate food contact surfaces, equipment, and food products. While Code 08A is categorized as a non-critical violation — meaning it does not represent an immediate health hazard requiring emergency action — it reflects conditions that regulators consider capable of escalating if not addressed.

DOHMH's inspection framework assigns point values based on both the severity of the violation and the potential risk it poses to public health. Non-critical violations can still carry substantial point totals when conditions are found to be pervasive or widespread within a facility.

Inspection History

Kevin's has a variable record in the publicly available inspection data preceding this visit:

  • February 22, 2020: Score 20, Grade B
  • September 27, 2019: Score 0 (no violations cited)
  • June 20, 2019: Score 32 (Grade C range)
  • May 31, 2018: Score 10, Grade A

The restaurant previously recorded a Grade C-range score of 32 in June 2019, then improved significantly to a score of 0 later that same year and received a Grade B in early 2020. No inspection records appear in the publicly released dataset between February 2020 and March 2026. DOHMH conducts routine unannounced inspections of all permitted food service establishments on a cycle basis, and not all inspections result in public data releases at the same time.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City requires most food service establishments to post their current letter grade in a location visible to the public. Grades are determined by scores assigned during DOHMH inspections:

  • Grade A: Score of 0–13 points (fewest violations documented)
  • Grade B: Score of 14–27 points (some violations identified)
  • Grade C: Score of 28 or more points (higher violation count or severity)

Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection are entitled to request a reinspection before a grade card is required to be posted. The grade reflected in public records corresponds to the most recent scored inspection at the time the data was made available.

Consumers can review current inspection scores, violation codes, and grade history for any permitted New York City restaurant through the DOHMH's NYC Restaurant Inspection Results dataset, accessible via the NYC Open Data portal. Records are updated on a rolling basis as new inspection data is processed and released.

More About This Restaurant

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