Bronx, NY — Mariel's Juice Bar & Restaurant, a Latin American eatery at 503 East Tremont Avenue, received a score of 34 following a New York City health inspection conducted on February 11, 2026. The score places the restaurant in Grade C territory, the lowest letter grade issued under the city's restaurant grading system.

Inspectors from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) documented one critical violation during the inspection. The data was released publicly by DOHMH on February 13, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

The inspection identified a single critical violation related to improper food temperature control:

  • Hot TCS food items were not held at or above 140°F (Code 02B)

TCS stands for Time/Temperature Control for Safety, a designation applied to foods that are particularly susceptible to bacterial growth when not stored at proper temperatures. These include cooked meats, rice, beans, soups, and other prepared dishes commonly served at restaurants.

When hot TCS foods fall below the 140°F threshold, they enter what food safety experts refer to as the "temperature danger zone" — the range between 41°F and 140°F where harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Clostridium perfringens can multiply rapidly. According to the FDA Food Code, foods held in this danger zone for extended periods can reach bacterial levels sufficient to cause foodborne illness.

Despite the critical nature of this violation, DOHMH records indicate that no closure order was issued. The action taken was limited to citing the violations found during the inspection.

Food Safety Context

NYC Health Code Article 81 establishes the regulatory framework governing food service establishments in New York City. Under these regulations, restaurants are required to maintain hot TCS foods at or above 140°F at all times during holding and service.

The FDA Food Code, which serves as the model for local food safety regulations nationwide, identifies temperature control as one of the most important measures for preventing foodborne illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million Americans experience foodborne illness each year, with improper holding temperatures cited as a leading contributing factor.

A score of 34 indicates that the violations identified during the inspection were assessed a significant number of penalty points. Under the DOHMH scoring system, each violation carries a specific point value based on its severity and the conditions observed. Critical violations related to temperature control typically carry higher point values due to their direct connection to foodborne illness risk.

Inspection History

No prior inspection history is available for Mariel's Juice Bar & Restaurant in the DOHMH public database. The February 11, 2026 inspection represents the first recorded inspection for this establishment in the current dataset.

This could indicate that the restaurant is a relatively new establishment or that it was operating under a different name or permit previously. DOHMH inspection records are tied to the current operating permit, and historical records may not transfer if ownership or business identity changes.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's restaurant grading system, administered by DOHMH, assigns letter grades based on the total number of violation points identified during an inspection:

  • Grade A: 0–13 points
  • Grade B: 14–27 points
  • Grade C: 28 or more points

Mariel's Juice Bar & Restaurant's score of 34 falls into the Grade C range. Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection are entitled to a re-inspection, typically scheduled within a month. If the restaurant scores in the Grade A range on the re-inspection, it receives a Grade A card. If not, it receives the grade from the re-inspection and may request an adjudicatory hearing before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

Grade cards must be posted at the restaurant's entrance where they are visible to the public.

Consumers can look up inspection results for any New York City restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online at the NYC Open Data portal. The inspection data referenced in this article was sourced from publicly available DOHMH records.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for Mariel's Juice Bar & Restaurant including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.