LA MEXICANA GROCERY & RESTAURANT
1759 STATE STREET, SCHENECTADY, NY 12304 · Restaurant (Restaurant)
Inspection summary
LA MEXICANA GROCERY & RESTAURANT has been inspected 4 times by New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) since February 12, 2020. The most recent inspection, on November 20, 2024, recorded 3 infractions.
None of the 4 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, Pests and Handwashing and staff hygiene.
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.
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 6 times across 4 separate inspections, most recently on November 20, 2024. For example:
Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked)
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 June 26, 2023. For example:
Effective measures not used to control entrance (rodent-, insect-proof contruction). Harborage areas available for rodents, insects and other vermin
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 4 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on June 26, 2023. For example:
Toilet facilities inadequate, inconvenient, dirty, in disrepair, toilet paper missing, not self-closing doors, missing hand wash signs
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 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on November 20, 2024. For example:
Wiping cloths dirty, not stored properly in sanitizing solutions
Food source, labelling and allergensHigher risk
Food must come from approved suppliers, stay in labelled containers and be thrown out when it is spoiled or damaged, such as dented or swollen cans. Labelling matters for allergies: an unlabelled container can hide an allergen.
Recorded once on February 12, 2020. For example:
Canned foods found in poor conditions (leakers, severe dents, rusty, swollen cans)
About this data
These results come from New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), 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
- Inspection
3 infractions
- 11B: Wiping cloths dirty, not stored properly in sanitizing solutions
- Not Critical Violation
- 16: Miscellaneous, Economic Violation, Choking Poster, Training.
- Not Critical Violation
- 8A: Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked)
- Not Critical Violation
- 11B: Wiping cloths dirty, not stored properly in sanitizing solutions
- Inspection
8 infractions
- 8A: Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked)
- Not Critical Violation
- 14B: Effective measures not used to control entrance (rodent-, insect-proof contruction). Harborage areas available for rodents, insects and other vermin
- Not Critical Violation
- 12D: Toilet facilities inadequate, inconvenient, dirty, in disrepair, toilet paper missing, not self-closing doors, missing hand wash signs
- Not Critical Violation
- 11C: Food contact surfaces not washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any time of operations when contamination may have occurred
- Not Critical Violation
- 13A: Adequate, leakproof, non-absorbent, vermin-proof, covered containers not provided where needed
- Not Critical Violation
- 10B: Non-food contact surfaces and equipment are improperly designed, constructed, installed, maintained (equipment not readily accessible for cleaning, surface not smooth finish)
- Not Critical Violation
- 2C: Cooked or prepared foods are subject to cross-contamination from raw foods.
- Critical Violation
- 8B: In use food dispensing utensils improperly stored
- Not Critical Violation
- 8A: Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked)
- Inspection
8 infractions
- 14B: Effective measures not used to control entrance (rodent-, insect-proof contruction). Harborage areas available for rodents, insects and other vermin
- Not Critical Violation
- 8A: Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked)
- Not Critical Violation
- 8B: In use food dispensing utensils improperly stored
- Not Critical Violation
- 14A: Insects, rodents present
- Not Critical Violation
- 11D: Non food contact surfaces of equipment not clean
- Not Critical Violation
- 12D: Toilet facilities inadequate, inconvenient, dirty, in disrepair, toilet paper missing, not self-closing doors, missing hand wash signs
- Not Critical Violation
- 12C: Plumbing and sinks not properly sized, installed, maintained; equipment and floors not properly drained
- Not Critical Violation
- 14C: Pesticide application not supervised by a certified applicator
- Not Critical Violation
- 14B: Effective measures not used to control entrance (rodent-, insect-proof contruction). Harborage areas available for rodents, insects and other vermin
- Inspection
8 infractions
- 2C: Cooked or prepared foods are subject to cross-contamination from raw foods.
- Critical Violation
- 12E: Handwashing facilities inaccessible, improperly located, dirty, in disrepair, improper fixtures, soap, and single service towels or hand drying devices missing
- Not Critical Violation
- 12C: Plumbing and sinks not properly sized, installed, maintained; equipment and floors not properly drained
- Not Critical Violation
- 1D: Canned foods found in poor conditions (leakers, severe dents, rusty, swollen cans)
- Critical Violation
- 10B: Non-food contact surfaces and equipment are improperly designed, constructed, installed, maintained (equipment not readily accessible for cleaning, surface not smooth finish)
- Not Critical Violation
- 8F: Improper thawing procedures used
- Not Critical Violation
- 8A: Food not protected during storage, preparation, display, transportation and service, from potential sources of contamination (e.g., food uncovered, mislabeled, stored on floor, missing or inadequate sneeze guards, food containers double stacked)
- Not Critical Violation
- 12D: Toilet facilities inadequate, inconvenient, dirty, in disrepair, toilet paper missing, not self-closing doors, missing hand wash signs
- Not Critical Violation
- 2C: Cooked or prepared foods are subject to cross-contamination from raw foods.
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