BIG JOHN'S COFFEE SHOP & GRILL
876 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232 · Restaurant (American)
Inspection summary
BIG JOHN'S COFFEE SHOP & GRILL has been inspected 5 times by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) since April 5, 2024. The most recent inspection, on May 27, 2026, recorded 1 infraction.
None of the 5 inspections on record were free of infractions. In the past 12 months there was 1 inspection with 1 infraction recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Pests, Protecting food from contamination and Cleaning and sanitizing.
Recent inspections have recorded fewer infractions than earlier ones, so the record is improving.
What these findings mean
Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.
PestsHigher risk
Signs of mice, rats, cockroaches or flies, or gaps and clutter that let them get in or hide. Pests carry bacteria and can contaminate food and surfaces, so evidence of activity is treated seriously and usually triggers a follow-up visit.
Recorded 3 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on May 27, 2026. For example:
Food, prohibited, from unapproved or unknown source, home canned or home prepared. Animal slaughtered, butchered or dressed (eviscerated, skinned) in establishment. Reduced Oxygen Packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing. ROP food prepared on premises transported to another site.
Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk
This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.
Recorded 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on August 25, 2025. For example:
Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk
Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.
Recorded 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on August 25, 2025. For example:
Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Equipment and utensilsLower risk
Equipment has to be built from cleanable materials, kept in good repair and stored properly. These findings are mostly about upkeep, like a cracked shelf, a worn gasket or utensils stored the wrong way. They are generally lower risk but show how well the kitchen is maintained.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on August 25, 2025. For example:
Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
Food safety training and certificationLower risk
Most jurisdictions require a certified food handler or manager on site, and some require allergen or food-worker training. These findings mean the paperwork or the trained person was missing at the time. They do not by themselves mean food was handled unsafely.
Recorded once on June 26, 2025. For example:
20-08: Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information
About this data
These results come from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.
5 inspections
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
1 infraction
- 03A: Food, prohibited, from unapproved or unknown source, home canned or home prepared. Animal slaughtered, butchered or dressed (eviscerated, skinned) in establishment. Reduced Oxygen Packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing. ROP food prepared on premises transported to another site.
- Critical
- 03A: Food, prohibited, from unapproved or unknown source, home canned or home prepared. Animal slaughtered, butchered or dressed (eviscerated, skinned) in establishment. Reduced Oxygen Packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing. ROP food prepared on premises transported to another site.
- Cycle Inspection / Re-inspection
3 infractions
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Critical
- 06E: Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
- Critical
- 10F: Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
- Not Critical
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Administrative Miscellaneous / Initial Inspection
1 infraction
- 20-08: Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information
- Not Critical
- 20-08: Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
5 infractions
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Critical
- 06D: Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
- Critical
- 04L: Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
- Critical
- 10F: Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
- Not Critical
- 08A: Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
- Not Critical
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Critical
- 06E: Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
- Critical
- 06C: Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
Nearby inspected facilities
- U BAR 2 LOUNGE
870 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232
3 inspections
- LA PARADA II
855 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232
4 inspections
- TWIN LIN'S GARDEN
854 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232
2 inspections
- MINNIE'S BAR
885 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232
3 inspections
- MAMA LUPITA'S BISTRO
904 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232
3 inspections
- AXZO CAFE
912 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232
4 inspections
- CAFE AROMA Y SABOR
912 4 AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11232
1 inspection
- GRAVESEND PIZZA
181 34 STREET, Brooklyn, NY 11232
4 inspections