Manhattan, NY — Canto, an Italian restaurant at 2014 Broadway on the Upper West Side, received a Grade B rating after a health inspection conducted on March 20, 2025. The restaurant recorded a score of 27 points, which places it at the very top of the Grade B range and just one point below the Grade C threshold of 28.

The inspection identified one critical violation and no non-critical violations. The inspection data was released by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 6, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors cited Canto for a single critical violation:

A Food Protection Certificate (FPC) was not held by a manager or supervisor of food operations. Under NYC regulations, at least one supervisory staff member present during all hours of operation must hold a valid Food Protection Certificate. This certification ensures that a trained individual is overseeing food handling, preparation, storage, and safety protocols at all times.

While the inspection documented only this one violation, it carried enough weight to push the restaurant's score to 27 points — the maximum score a restaurant can receive and still qualify for a Grade B.

Food Safety Context

NYC Health Code Article 81 requires that every food service establishment maintain at least one certified food protection manager on duty during operating hours. This requirement aligns with the FDA Food Code, which identifies the person in charge as a critical control point for food safety management.

The Food Protection Certificate demonstrates that a manager has completed an approved course covering key areas including proper food temperatures, cross-contamination prevention, allergen awareness, personal hygiene standards, and pest management. The absence of a certified manager on site means there may not be adequate trained oversight of daily food safety practices.

DOHMH considers this a critical violation because the lack of a certified supervisor can affect every aspect of a restaurant's food safety operations, from receiving and storing ingredients to preparation and service.

Inspection History

No prior inspection history is available for Canto in the DOHMH public database. This may indicate that the March 2025 inspection was the establishment's first recorded cycle, or that previous records are not reflected in the current dataset.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on violation point totals. Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations:

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

Canto's score of 27 falls at the upper boundary of the Grade B range. For context, a single additional point would have resulted in a Grade C designation. Restaurants that receive a B or C grade on an initial inspection may request a re-inspection and can also contest their grade through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings.

Consumers can look up the full inspection results for any NYC restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant grading search portal at the nyc.gov website. Inspection reports provide detailed breakdowns of each violation cited, the associated point values, and the restaurant's complete inspection history.

More About This Restaurant

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