Brooklyn, NY — Las Margaritas, a Mexican restaurant located at 9208 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn's Bay Ridge neighborhood, received a Grade B score of 26 following a New York City health inspection conducted on July 10, 2025. The score places the restaurant at the upper boundary of the Grade B range, just one point below the 28-point threshold that triggers a Grade C designation.
Inspectors from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) documented one critical violation and two non-critical violations during the inspection.
What Inspectors Found
The most significant finding was a critical violation under Code 06C: food, supplies, or equipment were not adequately protected from potential sources of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, or service. Inspectors also noted that condiments were not provided in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor, which can increase the risk of cross-contamination between customers.
Inspectors identified two additional non-critical violations:
- Under Code 10B, the restaurant was cited for issues related to anti-siphonage or back-flow prevention devices not being provided where required. The citation also noted that equipment or flooring was not properly drained, and condensation or liquid waste was not being disposed of appropriately.
- Under Code 20-01, the required food allergy information poster was not conspicuously posted in areas where food is prepared or processed by food workers. New York City requires these posters to be clearly visible to staff handling food.
Food Safety Context
NYC Health Code Article 81 establishes the regulatory framework for food service establishments in the city, requiring restaurants to maintain sanitary conditions that protect public health. The critical violation documented at Las Margaritas — failure to protect food from contamination sources — addresses a core principle of the FDA Food Code, which mandates that food be shielded from environmental and cross-contamination hazards at every stage of handling.
The back-flow prevention requirement cited under Code 10B exists to prevent contaminated water from entering the clean water supply, a plumbing safeguard that is standard across commercial food establishments. The missing food allergy poster, while classified as non-critical, relates to a citywide mandate designed to protect customers with food allergies by ensuring staff awareness.
A score of 26 is notable because it sits at the very top of the Grade B range. Had inspectors documented even one additional minor violation, the restaurant would have crossed into Grade C territory, which can trigger additional re-inspection requirements.
Inspection History
No prior inspection history is available for Las Margaritas in the DOHMH public dataset. This may indicate that the July 2025 inspection was the restaurant's first recorded cycle inspection, or that earlier records predate the current dataset.
It should be noted that this inspection was conducted on July 10, 2025, with the data released publicly by DOHMH on February 27, 2026. Conditions at the restaurant may have changed since the inspection date.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on inspection scores:
- A: 0–13 points (fewest violations)
- B: 14–27 points
- C: 28 or more points
Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations. Restaurants receiving a B or C grade on an initial inspection are offered a re-inspection opportunity, and the better score of the two is used for the final posted grade.
Consumers can look up any restaurant's inspection history through the DOHMH restaurant grades search portal or the NYC Open Data platform. Las Margaritas' full inspection record is available as public data at [NYCRestaurantInspections.com](https://nycrestaurantinspections.com).
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Las Margaritas including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.