Manhattan, NY — At The Venue, a coffee and tea shop located at 134 West 29th Street in Manhattan, received a score of 22 following a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on March 24, 2026. The score places the establishment in Grade B territory, five points below the Grade C threshold. Inspection data was released by DOHMH on March 26, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one critical violation during the March inspection. The cited violation, Code 06D, pertains to food contact surfaces not being properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized after each use and following any activity during which contamination may have occurred.

Food contact surfaces — including cutting boards, utensils, preparation counters, and equipment that comes into direct contact with food or beverages — are required under NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code to be cleaned and sanitized at defined intervals. Failure to maintain these surfaces increases the risk of cross-contamination between food preparation cycles. No non-critical violations were recorded during this inspection.

Food Safety Context

Under NYC Health Code Article 81, all food service establishments are subject to unannounced inspections conducted by DOHMH. Violations are assigned point values based on their potential to cause foodborne illness, with critical violations carrying higher point totals than non-critical ones.

The FDA Food Code, which informs New York City's food safety regulations, establishes that food contact surfaces must be sanitized using an approved chemical solution or heat method after each use, after handling raw foods, and any time contamination is suspected. A score of 22 — while still within the Grade B range — reflects a meaningful accumulation of violation points for an establishment of this type, particularly given that the score resulted from a single critical violation.

Inspection History

At The Venue has a variable inspection record over the past two years:

  • April 3, 2025: Score 12 (Grade A)
  • November 12, 2024: Score 0 (Grade C)
  • September 24, 2024: Score 55 — closed by DOHMH
  • August 8, 2024: Score 24 (Grade B)

The establishment's history shows significant fluctuation, including a DOHMH closure in September 2024 following a score of 55, and a Grade A result in April 2025. The most recent inspection represents a regression from that Grade A performance.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

DOHMH assigns letter grades based on inspection scores under the following scale:

  • Grade A: Score of 0–13 points
  • Grade B: Score of 14–27 points
  • Grade C: Score of 28 or more points

Establishments that score in the Grade B or C range may request a re-inspection, at which point the lower of the two scores is used to determine the posted grade. Grades are required to be displayed prominently at the entrance of every food service establishment in New York City.

Consumers can review current and historical inspection records for any NYC food service establishment through the DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results database, available via NYC Open Data.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for At The Venue including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.