Manhattan, NY — Great Taste Usa, a Chinese restaurant located at 33 Catherine Street in Manhattan, was closed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) following an inspection conducted on December 29, 2025. The restaurant received a score of 79 points, well above the 28-point threshold for a Grade C, after inspectors documented a critical food safety violation.
The closure was the latest in a pattern of repeated enforcement actions against the establishment, which has been closed by health inspectors three times within a nine-month period.
What Inspectors Found
During the December 29 inspection, DOHMH inspectors identified one critical violation at the Catherine Street location:
Hot time/temperature control for safety (TCS) food items were not being held at or above 140°F, as required under NYC Health Code regulations. This violation falls under DOHMH code 02B and is classified as critical due to its direct connection to foodborne illness risk.
TCS foods — which include cooked meats, rice, soups, and other items that support bacterial growth — must be maintained at 140°F or above during hot holding to prevent the rapid multiplication of harmful pathogens such as Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, and Staphylococcus aureus. When these foods fall into the "danger zone" between 41°F and 140°F, bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes, significantly increasing the risk of foodborne illness for consumers.
The single critical violation was sufficient, combined with the overall inspection findings, for DOHMH to order the establishment closed. According to the agency's enforcement notes, violations requiring immediate action were addressed at the time of inspection.
Food Safety Context
NYC Health Code Article 81 establishes the regulatory framework for food service establishments in New York City. Under these regulations, DOHMH inspectors evaluate restaurants across a range of food safety criteria, assigning point values to each violation found. Critical violations — those that directly contribute to foodborne illness risk — carry higher point values than general violations.
The FDA Food Code, which serves as the model for many local food safety regulations nationwide, specifies that hot TCS foods must be held at 140°F or above. This standard is adopted by New York City and enforced during routine and complaint-based inspections. Failure to maintain proper holding temperatures is one of the most commonly cited critical violations across the city's approximately 27,000 restaurants.
DOHMH has the authority to close any food service establishment when conditions present an imminent threat to public health. Closed restaurants must correct all cited violations and pass a re-inspection before they are permitted to resume operations.
Inspection History
Great Taste Usa's recent inspection record reflects a pattern of significant violations and repeated closures:
- February 4, 2026: Score 2, Grade Z — Reopened following prior closure
- January 30, 2026: Score 42 — Closed by DOHMH
- October 31, 2025: Score 48
- April 15, 2025: Score 5, Grade Z
- April 11, 2025: Score 50 — Closed by DOHMH
- April 8, 2025: Score 67 — Closed by DOHMH
The restaurant has been closed by DOHMH on at least four occasions since April 2025, including the December 29, 2025 closure detailed in this report. Scores have ranged from a low of 2 points — recorded during a February 2026 reopening inspection — to a high of 79 points at the December inspection. The wide variation in scores suggests the establishment has been able to achieve compliance on follow-up inspections but has struggled to maintain food safety standards during regular operations.
The Grade Z designations appearing in the record indicate that the restaurant was operating under a re-inspection cycle at those times, rather than displaying a standard letter grade.
It is worth noting that the most recent entry in the inspection history, dated February 4, 2026, indicates the restaurant successfully passed a reopening inspection with a score of 2, suggesting it has since resumed operations following a subsequent closure in January 2026.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on their inspection scores. Lower scores indicate fewer violations and better compliance:
- Grade A: 0 to 13 points — Highest rating, indicating strong food safety practices
- Grade B: 14 to 27 points — Moderate violations identified
- Grade C: 28 or more points — Significant violations documented
Great Taste Usa's score of 79 at the December 29 inspection placed it well into Grade C territory, more than five times the threshold for that designation.
Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection may request an adjudicatory hearing with the city's Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) and will receive a re-inspection. The grade posted at the restaurant reflects the most recent adjudicated result.
How to Stay Informed
Consumers can look up the inspection history of any New York City restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online. Letter grades are required to be posted at the entrance of every food service establishment in the city, providing an at-a-glance indicator of recent inspection results.
The inspection data referenced in this article was recorded on December 29, 2025, and released by DOHMH on December 31, 2025. Inspection results reflect conditions observed at the time of the inspection and may not represent current conditions at the establishment.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Great Taste Usa including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.