Williamsburg's Trendy Blue Bottle Coffee Closed After City Finds Mice, Filth Flies

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Blue Bottle Coffee was shut down after health inspectors reported live mice and “filth flies” in the cafe Friday, city records show.

The beloved Blue Bottle Coffee shop on Berry and North Fifth streets was forced to close after the Department of Health reported three major health code violations on June 7.

Inspectors reported evidence of mice near the food areas, filth flies — flies associated with garbage or sewage, such as fruit and bottle flies — and food prep surfaces that had not been properly sanitized, city records show.

Restaurants are graded on a violation point system that determines their letter grades — scores between zero and 13 constitute an A, scores between 14 and 27 constitute a B, and scores above 28 earn eateries a C and close monitoring from the city’s health department.

During its Friday inspection, the Williamsburg coffee shop earned 38 points — the same score it earned during an inspection last October.

Blue Bottle Coffee is a national chain based in Oakland, California, that boasts the usage of the “finest, most delicious, and responsibly sourced bean” and coffee only served at its freshest during “peak flavor.”

The Berry Street outpost, which is the first of nine Blue Bottle Coffees to pop up in New York City, opened in 2010 and currently hosts a training center, coffee-roasting facility and company offices, according to the company website.

An employee at the Williamsburg outpost declined to speak on the phone and Blue Bottle Coffee representatives in California did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

Photo courtesy of GoogleMaps/Jan. 2013