How to check any NYC restaurant health grade before you eat
Every NYC restaurant gets a letter grade from the Health Department. Here's how to find it, read the score behind it and check the full inspection record.
Every restaurant in New York City is inspected by the NYC Department of Health, and every one has to post a letter grade card. It takes about a minute to check a nyc restaurant health grade before you sit down. You can read it on the card at the door or look up the full inspection record in the city’s own data.
Here is what the grades mean, where to find them and how to read the numbers behind them.
What an NYC restaurant health grade means
Health inspectors score restaurants on violations. Each problem they find adds points, so a lower score is better. The letter grade comes from that score:
- A: 0 to 13 violation points
- B: 14 to 27 violation points
- C: 28 points or more
A grade covers only what inspectors found on one visit. It does not rate the food, the service or the prices. Two restaurants with an A can still be far apart: one might have scored 0 and the other 13.
Where to find the grade card at a restaurant
The rule is simple: a letter grade card must be posted. Most places put it in the front window or on the door, so you can see it before you walk in. It’s the blue-and-white card with a large letter.
If you can’t see a card, look near the entrance and the host stand. If you still can’t find one, check the restaurant’s record online before ordering. A missing card doesn’t tell you anything by itself, but the online record will.
How to look up a restaurant’s inspection record online
The Health Department’s inspection results are published on NYC Open Data as dataset 43nn-pn8j, “DOHMH New York City Restaurant Inspection Results.” The data is updated daily. The latest inspection in the data right now is dated Sept. 16, 2026.
To check a restaurant:
- Open NYC Open Data and search for “Restaurant Inspection Results” or the dataset ID 43nn-pn8j.
- Filter by the restaurant’s name, which appears in the DBA (“doing business as”) field, and by borough.
- Sort by inspection date so the newest results appear first.
- Read the grade, the score and the violations for the most recent inspection.
Chains and common names can have many locations. Match the borough and street address so you’re looking at the right one.
How to read the inspection score and violations
One inspection often appears as several rows in the data, one row for each violation cited. The restaurant name, date, score and grade repeat on every row. So a long list of rows usually means one visit with several violations, not several bad visits.
Here’s an example from the data. On Sept. 2, The Kunjip, a Korean restaurant in Manhattan, was inspected and scored 57 points, which puts it in the C range. That result shows up as eight rows, all with the same score and date.
When you read a record, look at three things:
- The score: it shows where the restaurant sits inside its letter range.
- The date: a result from last week tells you more than one from last year.
- The violation descriptions: they show what the inspector actually found.
What N, Z and P mean in the grade data
Not every inspection ends with a final letter. The data also uses the codes N, Z and P. These mark results such as a restaurant that hasn’t been graded yet or a grade that is still pending. A restaurant may also post a “Grade Pending” card while its grade is not final.
These codes are common. Over the last 12 months, the data shows 8,054 restaurants with N, 4,614 with Z and 111 with P. If you see one, look at the score and violations from that same inspection to see where the restaurant stands.
How common A, B and C grades are in NYC
Most restaurants in the city earn an A. In the last 12 months of inspection data:
- 32,788 restaurants received an A
- 4,316 received a B
- 3,151 received a C
That’s more than 10 A grades for every C. A B or C is not the norm, so it’s worth reading the violations behind it. A restaurant can show up in more than one grade group during the year if it was inspected more than once.
What to do before you book or walk in
A quick routine covers most situations:
- Look for the grade card in the window before you go in.
- For a new place or a big night out, check the latest inspection date and score on NYC Open Data.
- If the grade is a B or C, read the violations and decide for yourself.
- Check again later, because new results are added daily and a grade can change after the next inspection.
Trying somewhere new, like Graciela in the West Village, is a good time to do a quick check. To plan food stops by neighborhood, browse the How2NewYork neighborhood guides.
Sources
Every figure above comes from these official sources, checked on the day this was written.
Quick answers
What do the A, B and C restaurant grades mean in NYC?
They're based on violation points from a Health Department inspection. An A is 0 to 13 points, a B is 14 to 27 and a C is 28 or more. Fewer points is better.
Where can I see a restaurant's full inspection history?
On NYC Open Data, in the DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results dataset (43nn-pn8j). It lists each inspection's date, score, grade and violations and is updated daily.
Why does one restaurant have several rows for the same inspection?
The data has one row per violation. The name, date, score and grade repeat on each row from the same visit.
What do N, Z and P mean in the grade data?
They mark inspections without a final letter grade, such as a restaurant not yet graded or a grade that's still pending.
