Iconic NYC restaurants are flunking their health inspections
A slew of New York City’s most iconic eateries have been slapped with C ratings — the lowest possible grade — by city health inspectors.
The violations ranged from evidence of mice, roaches and flies, to unclean employees and sloppy food prep.
But several of the C-listers displayed a notice reading “grade pending,” an indication the restaurant is contesting the grade, or didn’t post the grade at all. One eatery hid their dismal rating behind a trash can, The Post found.
The upscale Spring Street creamery in Nolita was cited for “evidence of mice” and lack of a proper hand-washing facility. The creamery, where a pint of ice cream runs $12, artfully obscured their C with an outdoor garbage pail.
An employee working the counter told The Post that her manager instructed employees to “hide it with a trash can.”
“Health and food safety is of utmost importance to Van Leeuwen. Any issues have been promptly remedied and we are awaiting re-inspection,” a spokesman said.
The famed midtown steakhouse, where a prime rib costs $78 before the fixings, proudly displayed their C rating after being dinged for posting a fake A in the window last year. The posh eatery had kitchen surfaces that were “not properly washed” and “conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.”
“The issues that yielded us a C rating were not a reflection of food handling or sanitation. The issues cited were rectified immediately, yet that rating has still been on our window for six months as we have not been given an opportunity to be re-evaluated in all that time,” a spokesman said of city health inspectors.
The famed Brooklyn pizzeria in DUMBO was briefly shuttered in 2018 by the city over a mouse poop problem which forced a company official to take a food-protection certification class.
The restaurant still carries a C grade from the city, records show. During a November review, city inspectors found “evidence of mice,” contaminated food, and insufficient barriers to prevent “bare hand contact with food.” A “grade pending” notice was visible from a window near the door.
Anna Shi, a Jersey-based finance professional, took her mother to Grimaldi’s for lunch Wednesday and said the food was “quite tasty” but added she “probably wouldn’t come back” after being informed of the restaurant’s’ history of sanitation troubles.
A restaurant manager declined to comment.
At the iconic jiggle joint in midtown the Health Department found evidence of “live roaches” during a November visit. The agency also noted “conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.”
The burlesque house serves “delicious fine dining” according to its website, and features a sprawling menu with sushi, prime ribeye steak, chicken wings and more.
But it does not display its grade at all. When The Post asked to see it, a bouncer showed the reporter the door and said, “Have a nice day.”
- The Renaissance Hotel Chelsea
At the Marriott-owned hotel, a basic room can cost nearly $600 a night. But their restaurant Carne — which offers a $145 bistecca alla Florentina — was cited for “filth flies,” a catch-all term covering house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies and drain flies. The eatery was also dinged for “food contact surface not properly washed” and keeping food at incorrect temperatures. A “grade pending” notice hung in the bar just outside main dining room.
“Living here for a long time, I don’t really go less than B, just as a personal policy,” said TJ Zafarana, a 35-year-old designer milling around the lobby when The Post visited, saying was “surprised” by the low grade.
A front desk attendant declined to comment.
The High Line hotel in Chelsea — where customers shell out $500 a night for a regular room — took a C rating for its indoor coffee bar and cafe just off the main lobby. Health authorities zapped the indoor bar with violations for filth flies and evidence of mice over two inspections in 2024. DOH also noted a “live animal” present in food or non-food areas.
“I come here every day,” said Sara, an artist, sitting next to the bar with dog Rosy, adding she was unbothered by the poor report card. “I have nothing negative to say.”
The hotel did not display their health grade and refused to present it to The Post when asked.
“Our letter grading is pending, we are waiting for a re-inspection … I am not going to discuss this with you,” hotel general manager Abbey Rader said.
- Max Brenner Chocolate Bar
When The Post walked into Max Brenner’s sprawling Union Square chocolate-themed restaurant Wednesday afternoon, it found the cavernous space mostly empty. Three older women sat at one table drinking Heineken.
Brenner was cited for filth flies and “inadequate” personal cleanliness of staff. Executive Chef Jorge Paguay, 35, freely admitted to many of the issues.
“It’s nothing about food, it was a couple of flies,” Paguay insisted. “We have already fixed everything.”
The sprawling restaurant and music venue in Hudson Square offering breathtaking views of the Hudson River, was dinged for not having their wipes stored in a “clean and dry” or “sanitizing solution” between uses. Past violations have included trouble with “filth flies” and staff “personal cleanliness.”
Multiple City Winery officials who met The Post during an unannounced visit insisted all issues had been corrected. One even suggested a kitchen tour — something COO Carl Segal quickly vetoed. A “grade pending” sign was displayed in a window.
New York City restaurants have been required to post sanitary inspection grades since 2010, with the letters doled by DOH inspectors during random visits. A score of 0 to 13 is an A; 14 to 27 points is a B and 28 or more points is a C, according to the DOH.
The grades must be posted in a front window, on a door or outside wall where they are easily seen by passersby and failure to post the ratings could result in a $1,000 fine.
“The mice part is the hardest thing for us. They are constantly making new holes,” said Brooklyn restaurateur Ali Ahmed — who owns five eateries in the city, all of which have A ratings.
“Our exterminator comes in once a week and we pay him really well. And I think that’s where these restaurants are just failing. Their extermination company is just not doing good by them. And that’s the hardest battle.”
