Bronx, NY — Square One Dominican Restaurant, located at 283B Saint Anns Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, received a score of 56 during a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on December 8, 2025. The score places the restaurant well above the 28-point threshold for a Grade C, the lowest letter grade issued under the city's restaurant grading system.
The inspection data was released by DOHMH on February 27, 2026.
What Inspectors Found
During the inspection, DOHMH inspectors identified one critical violation at the Spanish cuisine restaurant. The establishment was cited under violation code 05H for not having an approved written standard operating procedure for avoiding contamination by refillable returnable containers.
This violation relates to the requirement that food service establishments maintain documented procedures to prevent cross-contamination when using containers that are refilled or returned for reuse. Without a written standard operating procedure in place, there is no verifiable system to ensure that returnable containers are properly sanitized and handled in a manner that prevents the introduction of contaminants into food or beverages.
While the inspection recorded one critical violation and no non-critical violations, the resulting score of 56 points indicates that the severity of the findings carried substantial weight under the DOHMH scoring system. The action taken by the department was to cite violations in the identified area.
Food Safety Context
New York City's restaurant inspection program operates under NYC Health Code Article 81, which establishes sanitary standards for all food service establishments in the five boroughs. The inspection criteria also align with the FDA Food Code, which provides federal guidelines for safe food handling, preparation, and storage.
Under these regulations, food establishments are required to maintain written procedures that address potential contamination risks. The use of refillable or returnable containers presents specific food safety concerns, as improperly cleaned or handled containers can introduce biological, chemical, or physical hazards into food products. The FDA Food Code emphasizes the importance of documented procedures as a preventive control measure, ensuring that staff follow consistent and verifiable protocols.
Critical violations are those that DOHMH identifies as conditions most likely to contribute to foodborne illness or food contamination. These carry higher point values in the scoring system compared to general (non-critical) violations, which accounts for the elevated score despite only one violation being recorded.
Inspection History
No prior inspection history is available for Square One Dominican Restaurant in the DOHMH public dataset. This may indicate that the December 2025 inspection was an initial inspection for the establishment, or that prior records are not included in the current data release.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on the total number of violation points recorded during an inspection. The grading scale is as follows:
- Grade A: 0 to 13 points — the restaurant is in substantial compliance with food safety regulations
- Grade B: 14 to 27 points — the restaurant has moderate violations that require correction
- Grade C: 28 or more points — the restaurant has significant violations that must be addressed
With a score of 56, Square One Dominican Restaurant's result is more than four times the maximum threshold for a Grade A and more than double the Grade C minimum of 28 points. Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection are typically scheduled for a re-inspection, during which the establishment has the opportunity to correct cited violations and potentially receive an improved grade.
Restaurants may also contest their inspection results through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), where an administrative law judge reviews the findings.
Public Resources
Consumers can look up the inspection history and current grade of any New York City restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online at the NYC Open Data portal. The letter grade issued to a restaurant is required to be posted in a visible location near the entrance of the establishment.
The inspection data referenced in this report is public record maintained by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and is subject to periodic updates as new inspections are conducted and processed.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Square One Dominican Restaurant including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.