CAVE
2320 MCDONALD AVENUE, Brooklyn, NY 11223 · Restaurant (American)
Inspection summary
CAVE has been inspected 3 times by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) since January 27, 2023. The most recent inspection, on October 4, 2025, recorded 2 infractions.
None of the 3 inspections on record were free of infractions. No inspections are on record from the past 12 months. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Protecting food from contamination, Chemicals and toxic substances and Handwashing and staff hygiene.
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.
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 2 separate inspections, most recently on October 4, 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.
Chemicals and toxic substancesHigher risk
Cleaning products, sanitizers and pesticides must be labelled and stored away from food and food-contact surfaces. Inspectors flag chemicals that could end up in food, as well as pest treatments applied without proper supervision.
Recorded once on June 6, 2024. For example:
Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
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 once on January 27, 2023. For example:
Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry is worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
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 6, 2024. For example:
Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
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.
3 inspections
- 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
- 04H: Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
- 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
- 08C: Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
- Not Critical
- 04A: Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
- Critical
- 08C: Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
- Cycle Inspection / Re-inspection
2 infractions
- 06C: Food, supplies, and equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
- Critical
- 06A: Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry is worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
- Critical
- 06C: Food, supplies, and equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
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