Restaurants in NYC have been lax in complying with health standards, with citations increasing many fold. Restaurants handed out the most violation notices are located in Eastern Queens and Staten Island. These areas have seen a sharp rise in compliance issues ranging from food quality to cleanliness. Restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn kept a relatively good track record for 2023 as compared to 2021, with very few outliers.

One of the reasons that led to a sudden increase in just two years "is because of outdoor dining. It's hard to keep the same standards. Another reason is that, in 2021, fewer restaurants were operating than there are in 2023. So, more restaurants open means more violations," said Abdul Elenani, owner of a Palestinian restaurant in Queens, Ayat.

Letter Grades for the NYC's restaurants in 2023

Borough with the least ranking is highlighted in purple

The table below shows the number of Grade A, B, and C restaurants in all five boroughs. While all boroughs have over 70% of their food establishments graded A, the Bronx is falling behind, with 29.5% of the establishments graded B or C, 3.5% higher than the city average.

There are numerous indicators of a subpar restaurant, like dirty tables, that are immediately apparent. However, some issues are less visible, such as unsanitary kitchen utensils or other equipment, improperly stored food, or food that isn't safeguarded from contamination sources. As customers, it's challenging for us to identify these potential causes of foodborne diseases, so we depend on regulatory authorities to intervene.

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in New York City conducts surprise health inspections for all restaurants on an annual basis. Any violations found during these inspections are assigned points, leading to a letter grade.

Every restaurant in New York City is scheduled for an unannounced inspection at least once a year. During the inspection, an inspector checks for compliance with city and state food safety regulations and marks points for any condition that violates these rules.

The points for a particular violation depend on the health risk it poses to the public. Violations fall into three categories:

• A public health hazard, such as failing to keep food at the right temperature, triggers a minimum of 7 points. If the violation can’t be corrected before the inspection ends, the Health Department may close the restaurant until it’s fixed.

• A critical violation, for example, serving raw food such as a salad without properly washing it first, carries a minimum of 5 points.

• A general violation, such as not properly sanitizing cooking utensils, receives at least 2 points.

Inspectors assign additional points to reflect the extent of the violation. A violation’s condition level can range from 1 (least extensive) to 5 (most extensive). For example, the presence of one contaminated food item is a condition level 1 violation, generating 7 points. Four or more contaminated food items is a condition level 4 violation, resulting in 10 points.