From filth to flies — some restaurants across Harlem have dirty secrets they’d rather you didn’t know or think about. Fortunately for the diner’s well-being, New York City’s Health Department is watching.
Every year, inspectors go unannounced into more than 24,000 restaurants in the city. Of them, the majority are fine, but some fall disgustingly short of the city’s cleanliness requirements.
The most common violations, according to the city, are food stored at wrong temperatures, vermin, “plumbing” issues (the mind boggles) and basic food safety protocols not being followed.
Every week, the good folks at Patch will tell us which restaurants have gotten the chop – try not to read over your lunch break.
Inspection scores above 28 earn eateries a C grade and extra close monitoring from the city’s health department – which could decide to shut it down.
These are the restaurants closed down since April 5, 2019, according to the Department of Health:
Tropical Spanish Restaurant, 3771 Broadway
Violation points: 55
- Hot food item not held at or above 140º F.
- Food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal product temperature is reduced from 140º F to 70º F or less within 2 hours, and from 70º F to 41º F or less within 4 additional hours.
- Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
- Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
- Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
Click here to the list of closed restaurants in other parts of the city.
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