East Meadow Restaurants Cited: Margarita's Cafe, Taco King, More

EAST MEADOW, NY — Do you know how clean your favorite restaurant is?

The New York State Health Department performs routine inspections of all food service facilities in the state. Several types of inspections are done — including comprehensive inspections that evaluate the sanitation, maintenance, and food service operations of a facility; and follow-up inspections for a facility that has been cited for critical and non-critical violations. More information about different types of violations can be found at the bottom of this article.

State inspectors check kitchens everywhere: in churches, schools, golf clubs and more. They also monitor the cleanliness of snack bars, kiosks inside entertainment venues, bakeries and bars.
All information comes from the health department's database. You can see the most recent inspections by clicking here.

These inspections were conducted between Nov. 8 and Nov. 16, 2021.

Friendly's, 1826 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow

• Last Inspected: Nov. 10, 2021
• Violations:
  • 0 Critical
  • 1 Noncritical
    • Hot, cold running water not provided, pressure inadequate

Taco King, 1971 Front St., East Meadow

• Last Inspected: Nov. 9, 2021
• Violations:
  • 0 Critical
  • 7 Noncritical
    • Non food contact surfaces of equipment not clean
    • Plumbing and sinks not properly sized, installed, maintained; equipment and floors not properly drained
    • Toilet facilities inadequate, inconvenient, dirty, in disrepair, toilet paper missing, not self-closing doors, missing hand wash signs
    • Handwashing facilities inaccessible, improperly located, dirty, in disrepair, improper fixtures, soap, and single service towels or hand drying devices missing
    • Effective measures not used to control entrance (rodent-, insect-proof contruction). Harborage areas available for rodents, insects and other vermin
    • Floors, walls, ceilings, not smooth, properly constructed, in disrepair, dirty surfaces

Margarita's Cafe, 1868 Front St., East Meadow

• Last Inspected: Nov. 10, 2021
• Violations:
  • 2 Critical
    • Food workers do not wash hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, coughing, sneezing, smoking or otherwise contaminating their hands
    • Food workers do not use proper utensils to eliminate bare hand contact with cooked or prepared foods
  • 7 Noncritical
    • 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)
    • Non food contact surfaces of equipment not clean
    • Plumbing and sinks not properly sized, installed, maintained; equipment and floors not properly drained
    • Handwashing facilities inaccessible, improperly located, dirty, in disrepair, improper fixtures, soap, and single service towels or hand drying devices missing
    • Effective measures not used to control entrance (rodent-, insect-proof contruction). Harborage areas available for rodents, insects and other vermin

Per New York State Department of Health:

Red "critical" violations relate directly to factors that could lead to food-borne illness. These violations generally involve the food source and condition, food cooking and storage temperatures, sanitary practices of food workers, water and sewage, pest contamination of food, and the use of toxic materials.

Blue "non-critical" violations do not directly cause food-borne illness but could negatively affect the operation of the restaurant. They relate to the design and maintenance of the establishment as well as cleanliness.

Editor's note: These citations are taken from the state Department of Health's database. Citations listed in this article may have been resolved by the time of publication, despite there being no amendments made on the department's website.