Queens, NY — Dong Yue Seafood Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant located at 136-14 38th Avenue in Flushing, received a score of 39 during a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on March 16, 2026. The score places the restaurant in Grade C territory, the lowest letter grade assigned under the city's restaurant grading system.

Inspectors documented one critical violation during the visit. No non-critical violations were recorded.

What Inspectors Found

The inspection identified a single critical violation related to food contact surface sanitation. Specifically, inspectors cited the restaurant under violation code 06D: food contact surfaces were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

Food contact surfaces include cutting boards, prep tables, utensils, and any equipment that comes into direct contact with food during preparation or service. When these surfaces are not properly cleaned and sanitized between uses, there is an increased risk of cross-contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods, which can facilitate the transmission of foodborne pathogens.

Despite only one violation being cited, the 39-point score reflects the weighted severity that DOHMH assigns to critical food safety violations during inspections.

Food Safety Context

The NYC Health Code Article 81 establishes sanitation requirements for all food service establishments operating within the five boroughs. Under these regulations, food contact surfaces must be washed, rinsed, and sanitized between tasks, between handling different food types, and at minimum every four hours during continuous use.

The FDA Food Code, which serves as the basis for many local health codes nationwide, similarly requires that food contact surfaces be cleaned and sanitized to prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria. Common sanitization methods include the use of chemical sanitizers at proper concentrations or hot water at temperatures sufficient to eliminate pathogens.

Improper sanitization of food contact surfaces is one of the more commonly cited critical violations across New York City restaurants. According to DOHMH guidelines, critical violations are those most likely to contribute to foodborne illness.

Inspection History

Dong Yue Seafood Restaurant has a documented inspection history that reflects recurring challenges with health code compliance. The restaurant's prior inspection records include:

  • September 14, 2022: Score 58
  • November 3, 2022: Score 49 (Grade C)
  • December 13, 2022: Score 88, closed by DOHMH
  • December 14, 2022: Score 7 (re-inspection following closure)
  • February 4, 2025: Score 63 (Grade C)
  • July 2, 2025: Score not recorded
  • August 13, 2025: Score 52
  • August 25, 2025: Score 28 (Grade Z)

The record shows the restaurant was closed by health inspectors in December 2022 after receiving a score of 88. A re-inspection the following day resulted in a score of 7, and the restaurant was permitted to resume operations.

Since that closure, the restaurant has not scored below 28 on any initial inspection cycle. The current score of 39 continues a pattern of scores in the Grade C range over the past two years.

A Grade Z designation, which appeared in August 2025, indicates a pending grade during the adjudication process rather than a final letter grade.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's restaurant grading system, administered by DOHMH, assigns letter grades based on the total number of violation points accumulated during an inspection:

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

Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection may request a re-inspection or enter the adjudication process through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). During this period, the restaurant may display a "Grade Pending" card rather than the letter grade.

All restaurant inspection results, including violation details and scores, are public record and available through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database. Consumers can search for any restaurant's inspection history at the NYC Open Data portal or through the city's official restaurant grades website.

The inspection data referenced in this article was collected on March 16, 2026, and released by DOHMH on March 18, 2026.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for Dong Yue Seafood Restaurant including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.