Queens, NY — Pollos Mario, a Latin American restaurant located at 62-01 Woodside Avenue in Woodside, Queens, received a score of 40 and a Grade C following a health inspection conducted March 27, 2026. The inspection data was released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 31, 2026. The single violation recorded during the inspection was non-critical in nature.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one violation during the March 27 visit: Code 09B, improper thawing procedure. No critical violations were identified during this inspection cycle.

Under the FDA Food Code and NYC Health Code Article 81, approved thawing methods include refrigeration at 41°F or below, submersion under cold running water, cooking directly from the frozen state, or use of a microwave when the food will be immediately cooked. Thawing at room temperature or in standing water allows surface temperatures to reach ranges where bacterial growth can accelerate, which is the concern this code addresses.

A single non-critical violation of this type does not indicate an immediate public health hazard, but does reflect a departure from required food handling procedures that operators are expected to correct.

Food Safety Context

NYC Health Code Article 81 governs food safety practices for all permitted food service establishments in the five boroughs. Violations are scored based on severity and public health risk. Critical violations — those directly linked to foodborne illness — carry higher point values than non-critical violations, which typically involve conditions or practices that could indirectly contribute to a food safety problem.

In this case, the score of 40 reflects the point value assigned to the single Code 09B violation. Restaurants scoring 28 or above receive a Grade C under the DOHMH letter grading system. A Grade C posting is required to be displayed prominently at the establishment.

Operators have the right to request a re-inspection before a grade is finalized, a process known as a Grade Pending inspection.

Inspection History

Pollos Mario has a documented inspection history reflecting variability in scores over recent years:

  • April 3, 2026: Score 3
  • March 27, 2026: Score 40 (Grade C)
  • September 16, 2025: Score 30
  • July 2, 2025: Score 34 (Grade Z)
  • May 14, 2025: Score 34
  • March 20, 2024: Score 22 (Grade B)
  • June 28, 2023: Score 67

The March 27, 2026 inspection marks the third consecutive result in the Grade C score range (28 or above), following scores of 30 and 34 in 2025. Notably, a follow-up inspection recorded April 3, 2026 — one week after the cited visit — resulted in a score of 3, which falls well within Grade A range. This suggests that the thawing procedure issue was addressed quickly following the initial citation.

The June 2023 score of 67 remains the highest on record for this location, indicating a significant improvement in overall compliance over the past two years despite the recent Grade C results.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

The DOHMH letter grade system translates numerical inspection scores into letter grades displayed at restaurant entrances:

  • Grade A: Score of 0–13 points
  • Grade B: Score of 14–27 points
  • Grade C: Score of 28 or more points
  • Grade Z / Grade Pending: Issued when a restaurant requests re-inspection before a grade is assigned

Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations. A Grade A represents the highest level of compliance under the city's inspection program.

Inspection records for all permitted food service establishments in New York City are publicly available through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database. Consumers can look up any restaurant's full inspection history, including violation codes and scores, at the city's official open data portal.

More About This Restaurant

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