Manhattan, NY — Famous Pop's Pizzas, a pizzeria located at 840 8th Avenue near Times Square, received a Grade C score of 31 following a New York City health inspection conducted on October 15, 2025. Inspectors documented live cockroaches on the premises, resulting in the establishment's only violation — a critical one under NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) standards.
Famous Pop's Pizzas restaurant inspection" width="400" height="225" loading="eager" decoding="async" class="article-featured-image">The inspection data was released publicly by DOHMH on March 4, 2026, approximately five months after the inspection took place. Conditions at the restaurant may have changed since the inspection date.
What Inspectors Found
During the October 2025 inspection, DOHMH inspectors cited Famous Pop's Pizzas for one critical violation:
- Live roaches present in the facility's food or non-food areas (Violation Code 04M)
This violation is classified as critical because the presence of live cockroaches in a food establishment poses a direct risk to food safety. Roaches are known carriers of bacteria including Salmonella and E. coli and can contaminate food, preparation surfaces, and storage areas through contact.
No non-critical violations were recorded during this inspection. The restaurant's total score of 31 points placed it in the Grade C category, which is assigned to establishments scoring 28 points or higher.
The action taken by DOHMH was noted as "violations were cited in the following area(s)," indicating that the establishment was not ordered closed at the time of inspection but was formally cited for the documented condition.
Food Safety Context
NYC Health Code Article 81 establishes the sanitary standards that all food service establishments in New York City must meet. Under these regulations, the presence of live pests such as cockroaches constitutes a critical violation because of the direct contamination risk to food and food contact surfaces.
The FDA Food Code, which serves as a model for local health regulations nationwide, similarly classifies active pest infestations as conditions requiring immediate corrective action. Food establishments are required to maintain pest management programs and ensure that facilities are free from evidence of insects and rodents.
Violation Code 04M specifically addresses the presence of live roaches in any area of a food establishment, whether in food preparation zones, storage areas, or non-food spaces such as restrooms or utility closets. The presence of even a small number of live roaches can indicate a larger infestation, as cockroaches are nocturnal and typically only a fraction of a population is visible at any given time.
Restaurants cited for pest-related violations are expected to take corrective action, which may include professional pest control treatment, deep cleaning, and sealing of entry points.
Inspection History
No prior inspection history is available in the DOHMH public database for Famous Pop's Pizzas at this location. This may indicate that the October 2025 inspection was the establishment's first recorded inspection, or that the restaurant is relatively new to the DOHMH inspection cycle.
Without prior inspection data, it is not possible to identify trends or recurring issues at this location. Future inspections will establish a track record that consumers can use to evaluate the establishment's food safety performance over time.
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. Each violation carries a specific point value, with critical violations generally carrying higher point values than non-critical ones.
The grading scale is as follows:
- Grade A: 0–13 points
- Grade B: 14–27 points
- Grade C: 28 or more points
A Grade C indicates that significant violations were identified during inspection. Restaurants receiving a Grade B or C may request a re-inspection to improve their score. Establishments also have the option to contest their grade through an administrative tribunal hearing.
Restaurant inspection results, including grades, scores, and specific violations, are public record and available through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database. Consumers can search for any restaurant's inspection history on the NYC DOHMH website or through the NYCRestaurantInspections.com database.
The inspection data referenced in this article reflects conditions observed on the date of inspection and may not represent current conditions at the establishment.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Famous Pop's Pizzas including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.