Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Department of Health on NYC Restaurants
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 7, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 7, 2003
Modified Mar 6, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Newsday reports that 71 establishments (of a possible 20,000) had been cited for violated the smoking ban - and most for having ashtrays out and not having dinstinct signs saying "No Smoking Allowed" - and some restaurant owners claim the smoking ban has affected business by 20%. Gothamist started to wonder if the smoking ban violations were recorded yet, and we stumbled onto the Department of Health's searchable database of restaurant inspections, which is where we'll be going after checking the Zagat or Chowhound.
While the quick random first searches showed no smoking violations, we did look up Dojo, the college favorite on St. Mark's, or as we like to call it, "The Department of Health Dojo" because it is that nasty. And sure enough, it's there. It passed inspection, but there was this violation: "Live animal present in food storage, preparation or service area. Citation may include and is not limited to cockroaches, flies, mice, rats, cats, and dogs." Which seems to be a typical violation, as that's listed for restaurants like Lupa, Sandobe and scores others. Gothamist wonders how many violations it takes to for a restaurant to fail inspection. And, ultimately, if the food is good and we aren't ill in the next few hours, how much do we really care? Two of our favorite restaurants seem to have many violations:
Pepe Rosso To Go:
1. Cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation.
2. Food worker does not use proper utensil to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.
3. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility.
4. Nuisance created or allowed to exist. Facility not free from unsafe, hazardous, offensive or annoying condition.
5. Food contact surface not properly maintained or not washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred
Mermaid Inn:
1. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Clean outer garments, effective hair restraint not worn.
2. Food contact surface not properly maintained or not washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred
3. Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
Until they get shut down, Gothamist will keep going and eating. Or until we see a cockroach making its way across the table (the way we did at Isabella's on Columbus).
See the worksheet (PDF) Health Department inspectors use.
Tagged
cats
cockroach
college
columbus
dogs
food
gothamist
hair
health
health department
live
mermaid inn
News: NYC
personal
rats
restaurants
smoking
smoking ban
The Department
To Go
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .