Health Dept. Shuts Down 14 Restaurants In Brooklyn Food Hall

DUMBO, BROOKLYN — Time is up on Time Out.

Less than two months after the two-story food hall opened, health inspectors have shut down nearly all of the eateries in the Time Out Market on Water Street.

Records show that 14 of Time Out Market's 21 food outposts were shuttered by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene during an inspection on Wednesday. The sprawling food hall, which features eateries handpicked by Time Out editors, first opened May 31 in a historic warehouse at 55 Water St.

A spokesman for the health department said that the shared walk-in refrigerator used at the food hall was found to be at 58 degrees, about 17 degrees higher than the Food and Drug Administration standards.

“When we inspected the Time Out Market’s refrigerator we found food at temperatures that could be potentially hazardous," the department said in a statement. "...We will work with Time Out to reopen the facility.”

Food, like meat or fish, that is not kept at or below the required 41 degrees can grow bacteria and cause food-borne illnesses.

Time Out also failed to show the department a full refrigeration log, meaning that the market had either not been keeping proper logs or that they didn't know the appropriate temperature for food storage, the department said.

All 14 eateries had some violation points that were for not keeping cold or hot food at the right temperature or not keeping food properly refrigerated, the records show.

In a statement, Time Out confirmed that refrigeration issues had caused the closures.

"Our team onsite is working closely with the DOH to make all necessary adjustments so we can reopen as soon as possible," the company said in a statement. "As always, our vendors and our guests remain our top priority, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to the market soon."

The biggest offender was a restaurant called BKLYN Wild, which was given nearly four times the violation points required to close a restaurant down. This "vegan for non-vegan" eatery was given 102 violation points by inspectors. Any score over 28 requires that the department close a business.

Inspectors found that BKLYN Wild did not keep cold food at the right temperature, did not have a food protection certificate, did not have a hand washing facility near the food preparation area or bathroom and did not protect its food from potential contamination. The eatery also did not have a proper thermometer to evaluate food temperatures, had an improperly constructed food surface and didn't have the proper refrigeration equipment.

Several other restaurants also had double, or near double, the threshold of violation points, including Ivy Stark, a Mexican eatery that was given 82 violation points.

The other restaurants that were closed down include Alta Calidad, Avacaderia, Besos, Bread Bagelry, Breads Bakery, Cookie Do, Felice, Fish Cheeks, Jacob's Pickles, Little Ada, Mr. Taka and Nur.

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.