Queens, NY — Calibella, a Latin American restaurant located at 760 Seneca Avenue in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens, received a score of 38 during a New York City health inspection conducted on September 9, 2025. The score places the restaurant in the Grade C range under the city's restaurant grading system.

The inspection data was released by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 6, 2026, approximately six months after the inspection took place. Readers should note that conditions at the establishment may have changed since the inspection date.

What Inspectors Found

During the September 2025 inspection, DOHMH inspectors documented one non-critical violation at the Seneca Avenue location.

The violation cited under code 10F noted that non-food contact surfaces or equipment were made of unacceptable material, were not kept clean, or were not properly sealed, raised, spaced, or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above, and underneath the unit. This type of violation pertains to the general maintenance and cleanliness of equipment and surfaces that do not come into direct contact with food but are still required to meet sanitary standards.

While the inspection record shows only one non-critical violation, the restaurant's overall score of 38 points placed it well above the 28-point threshold for a Grade C designation. The scoring reflects the cumulative point values assigned to each violation based on its severity and the conditions observed during the inspection.

Food Safety Context

New York City's restaurant inspection program operates under NYC Health Code Article 81, which establishes the sanitary standards that all food service establishments must meet. The program is administered by DOHMH, which conducts unannounced inspections of the city's approximately 27,000 restaurants.

Under the inspection framework, each violation is assigned a point value. Critical violations, which pose an immediate risk to public health, carry higher point values than non-critical violations, which relate to general facility maintenance, record-keeping, and operational conditions. A restaurant's total score determines its letter grade.

The FDA Food Code, which serves as a model for local food safety regulations nationwide, emphasizes that all food establishment surfaces and equipment — including non-food contact surfaces — must be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. Equipment must be designed, constructed, and installed to be accessible for cleaning and inspection, as improperly maintained equipment can harbor pests and bacteria over time.

Code 10F violations specifically address the condition and accessibility of non-food contact surfaces. While these surfaces do not directly touch food, their maintenance is considered an important component of overall food safety management within a restaurant environment.

Inspection History

No prior inspection history is available for Calibella in the DOHMH public database. This may indicate that the September 2025 inspection was an initial or cycle inspection for the establishment, or that prior records are not currently reflected in the publicly available dataset.

Without historical data for comparison, it is not possible to identify trends in the restaurant's compliance record. Future inspections will provide additional context regarding the establishment's ongoing adherence to health code requirements.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on the total violation points recorded during an inspection:

  • A: 0 to 13 points — The restaurant is in substantial compliance with health code requirements.
  • B: 14 to 27 points — The restaurant has moderate violations that require correction.
  • C: 28 or more points — The restaurant has significant violations requiring attention and follow-up inspection.

Calibella's score of 38 falls into the Grade C category. Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection are entitled to a re-inspection, at which point the grade may be adjusted based on current conditions. Restaurants may also request an adjudicatory hearing through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) to contest inspection results.

Consumers can verify any restaurant's current inspection results and letter grade through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online through the NYC Open Data portal. Grade cards are also required to be posted at the entrance of each inspected establishment.

The full inspection record for Calibella is available as public data through the DOHMH inspection results database at [NYCRestaurantInspections.com](https://nycrestaurantinspections.com).

More About This Restaurant

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