Manhattan, NY — A routine health inspection at Heavenly Market & Pizza, located at 1671 York Avenue, resulted in a Grade C score of 45 points, following the documentation of two critical violations — including the presence of a live animal on the premises. The inspection was conducted on April 2, 2026, with data released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on April 15, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors recorded four violations in total — two classified as critical and two as non-critical.

The most serious finding was a violation under Code 04O, which documents the presence of a live animal other than fish in a tank or a service animal in the facility's food or non-food area. Under NYC Health Code Article 81, live animals are prohibited in food service establishments due to the risk of contamination from animal waste, dander, and disease transmission.

The second critical violation, cited under Code 06A, identified inadequate personal cleanliness among food workers. Specific deficiencies noted included outer garments soiled with possible contaminants, failure to wear effective hair restraints in required areas, the wearing of jewelry on hands or arms, and fingernails that were not clean and trimmed or had fingernail polish present. The FDA Food Code requires food workers to maintain personal cleanliness to prevent the transfer of biological, chemical, or physical contaminants to food or food-contact surfaces.

Two non-critical violations were also recorded. Code 20-06 documents that the current letter grade or Grade Pending card was not posted in a location visible to customers, as required by DOHMH regulations. Code 20-04 notes the absence of required postings, including the "Choking First Aid" poster, the "Alcohol and Pregnancy" warning sign, and signage for resuscitation equipment such as exhaled air resuscitation masks and latex gloves.

Food Safety Context

NYC Health Code Article 81 governs food safety standards for all restaurants operating in the five boroughs. Inspections are unannounced and scored on a point-based system, with lower scores indicating fewer violations. Critical violations — those most likely to contribute to foodborne illness — carry higher point values than non-critical violations.

The FDA Food Code, which New York City's health code is modeled upon, identifies animal presence in food facilities and inadequate employee hygiene as among the risk factors most directly linked to foodborne disease outbreaks. Personnel hygiene failures, in particular, are consistently cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a leading contributing factor to foodborne illness in food service settings.

The absence of a visible grade card, while classified as non-critical, is a regulatory requirement designed to ensure consumers have access to inspection results at the point of service.

Inspection History

Heavenly Market & Pizza has received multiple inspections in recent years. The record shows a pattern of declining scores preceding this inspection:

  • June 12, 2026: Score 31 (Grade Z)
  • April 2, 2026: Score 45 (Grade C) — subject of this report
  • January 15, 2025: Score 19 (Grade B)
  • August 6, 2024: Score 73

The August 2024 score of 73 represents a significantly elevated violation count. The January 2025 inspection marked an improvement, with a Grade B score of 19. The two most recent inspections, however, reflect scores in Grade C territory, indicating ongoing compliance concerns.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

DOHMH assigns letter grades to restaurants following each inspection cycle, based on the total point score:

  • A: Score of 0 to 13 points (lowest number of violations)
  • B: Score of 14 to 27 points
  • C: Score of 28 points or higher (highest number of violations)

A Grade Z or Grade N designation may appear when a restaurant has not yet completed the full inspection cycle needed to receive a letter grade.

Restaurants that receive a score above 13 on an initial inspection are typically re-inspected within 30 to 45 days. The grade posted in the window must reflect the most recent completed inspection cycle.

Consumers can look up inspection records for any NYC restaurant through the DOHMH Restaurant Inspection Results database at nyc.gov, which is updated regularly as new inspection data becomes available.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for Heavenly Market & Pizza including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.