Every restaurant in New York City is inspected by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Inspectors check for food safety violations and assign points. The total points determine the letter grade.
0 — 13 points
Lowest violation score. Most NYC restaurants hold a Grade A. It does not mean zero violations — it means total points stayed below 14.
14 — 27 points
Moderate violations found. Common issues: improper food temperatures, surfaces not clean, handwashing problems.
28+ points
Significant violations. May include pest evidence, serious food handling issues, or facility problems. Restaurant must be re-inspected.
Grade Pending
Inspection completed, but the grade is under administrative review. The restaurant may have contested the score.
Not Yet Graded
Restaurant has been inspected but no letter grade has been assigned yet. Could be a new establishment.
Initial inspection — Unannounced. An inspector walks in and checks food handling, temperatures, cleanliness, pest control, and facility conditions. Each violation has a point value.
Score totaled — If the score is 0-13 points, the restaurant gets an A immediately. If 14+, they get a "Grade Pending" and are scheduled for re-inspection.
Re-inspection — The restaurant has a chance to fix violations. The re-inspection score determines the final grade (A, B, or C).
Adjudication — Restaurants can contest their grade through an administrative hearing. During this time the grade shows as "Pending."
Food temperature
Cold food above 41°F, hot food below 140°F
7-28 pts
Pest evidence
Signs of mice, rats, roaches, or flies
5-28 pts
Food handling
Cross-contamination, bare-hand contact
5-28 pts
Surface cleanliness
Equipment, utensils, or surfaces not clean
2-5 pts
Handwashing
No soap, no hot water, improper facilities
5-7 pts
Permits & signage
Missing permit, choking poster, or allergy info
2-5 pts
We pull data daily from the NYC Open Data API — the same dataset DOHMH publishes. We display:
31,864
restaurants tracked
104,887
inspections on record
May 11, 2026
last data sync