New York, NY — Three Queens restaurants were assigned Grade B scores following New York City Health Department inspections conducted on March 20, 2026, with an average score of 17.3 points. The citations span a pizza establishment, a bakery café, and a Chinese bun shop — each flagged for critical violations that require correction but do not, under city guidelines, represent an immediate threat to public health.

The Inspections

Inspectors visited Pizzarama, located at 37-15 Francis Lewis Boulevard in Queens, and recorded a score of 18 points. The single violation documented during the visit was critical in nature: evidence of mice or live mice in food and non-food areas of the establishment. Under NYC Health Code Article 81 and FDA Food Code standards, the presence of rodents in a food service environment is considered a serious concern due to the potential for disease transmission and food contamination. Pizzarama's grade is currently listed as Pending, indicating the restaurant may elect to request a re-inspection before a final letter grade is posted.

Further east in Queens, Lulu & Dino Cafe And Bakery, at 219-02 Northern Boulevard, also received a score of 18 during its March 20 inspection. Inspectors cited the establishment for personal cleanliness violations on multiple counts — specifically, that outer garments worn by food handlers were soiled with a possible contaminant and that effective hair restraints were not worn in food preparation areas. These violations fall under NYC Health Code requirements governing worker hygiene and cross-contamination prevention. The bakery's grade is recorded as Z, meaning a letter grade was not immediately assigned and a re-inspection is expected.

At Lee & Bai Chinese Buns Shop, 38-09 Union Street in Queens, inspectors recorded the lowest score among the three establishments — 16 points — but still within the Grade B range. The violations noted were critical: food, supplies, or equipment were found not protected from potential sources of contamination during storage, preparation, or transport. This violation was cited twice, suggesting the condition was identified across more than one area or instance within the facility. Lee & Bai's grade is also listed as Z, reflecting a pending re-inspection status.

Common Patterns

All three inspections on March 20 produced scores within a narrow band — 16 to 18 points — and each resulted in at least one critical violation. No non-critical violations were recorded in the available data, indicating that inspectors focused their citations on issues with a direct potential for food safety impact.

The violations span three distinct categories: pest management, worker hygiene, and food protection. Pest activity, documented at Pizzarama, is one of the more commonly cited critical violations citywide and typically triggers mandatory corrective action and a follow-up inspection. Personal cleanliness violations at Lulu & Dino reflect requirements under both the NYC Health Code and FDA Food Code that food workers maintain clean outer garments and use appropriate hair restraints when handling food. Food protection violations at Lee & Bai address the obligation to shield food, supplies, and equipment from contamination at every stage of handling.

Geographically, the three restaurants are distributed across different Queens neighborhoods — Flushing, Bayside/Douglaston, and a northern section of Queens — with no single district accounting for more than one citation. The cuisines are equally varied: pizza, bakery goods, and Chinese cuisine. No single neighborhood or food type stands out as a concentrated area of concern from this single day's data.

What This Means for Diners

A Grade B does not mean a restaurant is unsafe to visit. Under the NYC grading system, a B indicates that violations were identified and must be corrected, but that those violations do not rise to the level of an imminent public health hazard. Restaurants that receive a B or C on their initial scored inspection have the option to request a re-inspection, after which the resulting grade — whether improved or unchanged — is the one that must be publicly posted.

New York City requires all restaurants to display their current letter grade in a window visible from the street. Diners can also look up any restaurant's full inspection history, including the specific violations cited, through the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's online database. Checking a restaurant's history can provide more context than a single letter grade, particularly when a facility has a consistent record of improvement or recurring violations.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

The NYC Health Department uses a points-based system to evaluate restaurants during unannounced inspections. Violations are assigned point values based on their severity, and the total determines the grade:

  • Grade A: 0–13 points — the restaurant meets or closely meets NYC food safety standards
  • Grade B: 14–27 points — violations are present and must be corrected; re-inspection is available
  • Grade C: 28 or more points — more significant violations identified; corrective action required

A Grade Z or Grade Pending designation means a letter grade has not yet been finalized. This typically occurs when a restaurant scores in the B or C range on an initial inspection and opts for a re-inspection, during which the restaurant may earn a higher grade. Until that re-inspection takes place, a Grade Pending card is displayed.

Inspections are unannounced and conducted by trained sanitarians from the NYC Department of Health. Each restaurant is inspected at least once per year, with higher-risk establishments inspected more frequently.

Diners seeking to review inspection records for Queens restaurants or any NYC establishment can search the full inspection history at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's restaurant inspection lookup tool. NYCRestaurantInspections.com also maintains facility pages for each restaurant, including historical scores and violation details.