BIRRIA LES TACOS
34.5 SAINT MARKS PL, Manhattan, NY · Restaurant (Mexican)
Inspection summary
BIRRIA LES TACOS has been inspected 4 times by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) since November 1, 2023. The most recent inspection, on April 27, 2026, recorded 5 infractions.
None of the 4 inspections on record were free of infractions. In the past 12 months there was 1 inspection with 5 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Pests, Cleaning and sanitizing and Handwashing and staff hygiene.
The number of infractions per inspection has stayed roughly the same over time.
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 4 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on April 27, 2026. For example:
Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
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 2 separate inspections, most recently on April 27, 2026. For example:
Wiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses.
Handwashing and staff hygieneHigher risk
Hands are the main way germs like norovirus move from people to food. Inspectors look for stocked, accessible handwashing sinks, staff washing hands when required, hair restraints, and sick employees being kept away from food. Gaps here can spread illness quickly.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on April 27, 2026. For example:
Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
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 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on April 27, 2026. 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.
Food temperature controlHigher risk
Bacteria multiply fastest between about 4 °C and 60 °C (40 °F to 140 °F). Inspectors check that cold food stays cold, hot food stays hot, cooked food is cooled quickly, and that staff have accurate thermometers. Temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning, so these are treated as critical findings.
Recorded once on November 1, 2023. For example:
After cooking or removal from hot holding, TCS food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal temperature is reduced from 140 °F to 70 °F or less within 2 hours, and from 70 °F to 41 °F or less within 4 additional hours.
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.
4 inspections
- Cycle Inspection / Re-inspection
5 infractions
- 06A: Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
- Critical
- 06F: Wiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses.
- Critical
- 04L: Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
- 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.
- Critical
- 08A: Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
- Not Critical
- 06A: Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 06E: Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
- Critical
- 09C: Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
- Not Critical
- 06E: Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
- Cycle Inspection / Re-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
- 06B: Tobacco or electronic cigarette use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area.
- 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
5 infractions
- 04L: Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
- Critical
- 02H: After cooking or removal from hot holding, TCS food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal temperature is reduced from 140 °F to 70 °F or less within 2 hours, and from 70 °F to 41 °F or less within 4 additional hours.
- Critical
- 08C: Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
- Not Critical
- 08A: Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
- Not 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
- 04L: Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.