Inspection conducted Feb 2, 2026 · Data released by DOHMH Feb 27, 2026
CRITICAL VIOLATIONS
Durar Cafe Cited for Critical Violations - Manhattan
Published March 2, 2026 2:14 PM
996 AMSTERDAM AVENUE, Manhattan, NY 10025 · Coffee/Tea
31
Violation Score A: 0-13 · B: 14-27 · C: 28+
Manhattan, NY — Durar Cafe, a coffee and tea establishment located at 996 Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side, received a score of 31 during a New York City health inspection conducted on February 2, 2026. The score places the restaurant in Grade C territory, the lowest passing grade in the city's restaurant grading system.
Illustrative image — not a photo of the actual business
The inspection identified one critical violation and two non-critical violations. The data was released by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on February 27, 2026.
What Inspectors Found
The most serious finding involved improper storage of wiping cloths. Inspectors documented that wiping cloths were not being stored clean and dry, nor kept in a sanitizing solution between uses. This is classified as a critical violation under NYC inspection protocols because improperly maintained wiping cloths can transfer bacteria between surfaces, creating a direct risk of foodborne illness.
Wiping cloths are used frequently in food service environments to clean counters, equipment, and preparation areas. When these cloths are not stored in an approved sanitizing solution — typically a diluted bleach or quaternary ammonium compound — between uses, they can become a vehicle for cross-contamination. The FDA Food Code requires that cloths used for wiping food contact surfaces be kept in sanitizing solution of appropriate concentration when not in active use.
Inspectors also noted two non-critical violations. The first cited non-food contact surfaces or equipment that were not kept clean or were made of unacceptable material. Specifically, equipment was found to not be properly sealed, raised, spaced, or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above, and underneath the unit. While not classified as critical, unclean or poorly maintained equipment surfaces can harbor pests and bacteria over time.
The second non-critical violation documented the failure to post or conspicuously display healthy eating information. NYC Health Code requires food service establishments to make certain nutritional and healthy eating information available to customers in a visible location.
Food Safety Context
New York City's restaurant inspection program is administered by DOHMH under the authority of NYC Health Code Article 81. Inspectors evaluate restaurants across a range of food safety categories, assigning point values to each violation found. Critical violations carry higher point values than non-critical violations because they represent conditions more likely to contribute to foodborne illness.
The improper storage of wiping cloths is addressed in both the NYC Health Code and the FDA Food Code, which serves as a model for local food safety regulations nationwide. According to the FDA Food Code, wiping cloths used on food contact surfaces must be held in a chemical sanitizer solution between uses, and the solution must be maintained at the proper concentration.
For a coffee and tea establishment, maintaining clean surfaces and properly sanitized equipment is particularly important given the frequency of customer contact with serving areas and the potential for bacterial growth in warm, moist environments.
Inspection History
This inspection represents the first recorded inspection for Durar Cafe in the DOHMH public database. No prior inspection history is available for comparison, which means there is no baseline to assess whether the conditions found are part of a pattern or represent a one-time occurrence.
February 2, 2026: Score 31 (Grade C), violations cited
Restaurants receiving initial grades that fall below an A typically have the opportunity to request a re-inspection or appear before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) to contest the grade.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on their inspection scores. The scoring system works on a demerit basis — lower scores indicate fewer violations and better compliance:
Grade A: 0–13 points
Grade B: 14–27 points
Grade C: 28 or more points
A score of 31 places Durar Cafe in the Grade C range. Restaurants that receive a B or C grade on an initial inspection may post a "Grade Pending" card while they await a re-inspection or hearing.
Consumers can look up the full inspection history of any NYC restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online at the city's open data portal. The database is updated regularly as new inspection results are processed and released.
CRITICAL Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations. (Code 04A)
CRITICAL Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor. (Code 06C)
CRITICAL Properly scaled and calibrated thermometer or thermocouple not provided or not readily accessible in food preparation and hot/cold holding areas to measure temperatures of TCS foods during cooking, cooling, reheating, and holding. (Code 04J)
CRITICAL Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations. (Code 04A)
Non-Critical Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit. (Code 10F)
Non-Critical Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information (Code 20-08)
Non-Critical Wash hands sign not posted near or above hand washing sink. (Code 09E)
Non-Critical Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information (Code 20-08)
CRITICAL Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations. (Code 04A)
Non-Critical Food allergy information poster not conspicuously posted where food is being prepared or processed by food workers. (Code 20-01)
CRITICAL Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor. (Code 06C)
Non-Critical Food allergy information poster not conspicuously posted where food is being prepared or processed by food workers. (Code 20-01)
CRITICAL Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor. (Code 06C)
Non-Critical Food allergy information poster not conspicuously posted where food is being prepared or processed by food workers. (Code 20-01)
CRITICAL Properly scaled and calibrated thermometer or thermocouple not provided or not readily accessible in food preparation and hot/cold holding areas to measure temperatures of TCS foods during cooking, cooling, reheating, and holding. (Code 04J)
Non-Critical Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit. (Code 10F)
Non-Critical Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information (Code 20-08)
CRITICAL Wiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses. (Code 06F)
Non-Critical Failure to post or conspicuously post healthy eating information (Code 20-08)
Non-Critical Food allergy information poster not conspicuously posted where food is being prepared or processed by food workers. (Code 20-01)
Non-Critical Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit. (Code 10F)
Data Source: This report is based on official public inspection data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), released under the NYC Open Data program.
Editorial Process: Content generated using AI (Claude) to synthesize official inspection data into accessible reporting, then reviewed and verified for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional Review: All content undergoes standards and compliance oversight by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal, through Twin Digital Media's regulatory data auditing protocols.
Regulatory References: NYC Health Code Article 81, FDA Food Code (2022). NYC Restaurant Inspections is an independent public data reporting service. We are not affiliated with the City of New York.
| Last verified: March 13, 2026 | Our methodology
