Queens, NY — Hong Kong Garden Inc, located at 195-11 69th Avenue in Fresh Meadows, received a score of 59 on a health inspection conducted on October 22, 2025, according to data released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 4, 2026. The score places the restaurant in Grade C territory, the lowest grade issued under the city's restaurant grading system, and reflects two critical violations documented during the inspection.
No closure was ordered at the time of the inspection. The action recorded by DOHMH indicates that violations were cited in the areas identified below.
What Inspectors Found
Health inspectors documented two critical violations during the October 2025 inspection. No non-critical violations were recorded.
The first critical violation, cited under Code 06C, involved food, supplies, or equipment not being protected from potential sources of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, or service. This code also covers condiments not provided in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor. When food items are left exposed to environmental contaminants — whether from nearby chemicals, unclean surfaces, or improper storage conditions — the risk of foodborne illness increases.
The second critical violation, cited under Code 06D, involved food contact surfaces not being properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred. Food contact surfaces include cutting boards, prep tables, utensils, and any equipment that comes into direct contact with food during preparation or service. When these surfaces are not adequately cleaned between uses, bacteria and other pathogens can transfer between food items, a process known as cross-contamination.
Together, these two violations point to foundational food safety concerns related to how food is handled and how preparation environments are maintained.
Food Safety Context
The violations documented at Hong Kong Garden Inc relate to core principles outlined in both the NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code. Article 81 establishes the sanitary standards that all food service establishments in New York City must follow, including requirements for proper food storage, protection from contamination, and sanitation of surfaces and equipment.
The FDA Food Code, which serves as the model framework adopted by many local jurisdictions including New York City, emphasizes that food contact surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized at specific intervals — after each use, when switching between different food types, and any time contamination is suspected. These requirements exist because improperly sanitized surfaces are a well-documented vector for the transmission of pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.
A score of 59 is notably high. Under the NYC grading system, lower scores indicate better compliance, with a score of 0 to 13 qualifying for a Grade A. A score of 59 suggests multiple significant departures from the established food safety standards during the time of inspection.
Inspection History
No prior inspection history is available in the DOHMH dataset for Hong Kong Garden Inc. The October 22, 2025 inspection represents the earliest record on file for this establishment. This may indicate that the restaurant is a relatively new establishment, or that prior records predate the current digital dataset maintained by DOHMH.
It should be noted that the inspection data was released on March 4, 2026, approximately four and a half months after the inspection was conducted. Conditions at the restaurant may have changed since the inspection took place.
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:
- Grade A: 0 to 13 points — indicates strong compliance with food safety standards
- Grade B: 14 to 27 points — indicates moderate violations requiring correction
- Grade C: 28 or more points — indicates significant violations documented during inspection
Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection are offered a re-inspection opportunity, during which the grade may be improved. Restaurants are required to post their letter grade in a location visible to the public.
Consumers can look up any restaurant's inspection results through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online at the NYC Open Data portal. This public record allows residents to review the specific violations cited, scores received, and inspection dates for any food service establishment operating in New York City.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Hong Kong Garden Inc including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.