Queens, NY — Hooks Pizza, located at 915 Cross Bay Boulevard in Queens, received a Grade C following a health inspection conducted April 2, 2026, after inspectors documented conditions conducive to rodents, insects, or other pests at the establishment. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) released the inspection data on April 6, 2026. The restaurant's recorded score of 28 places it in the lowest public letter grade category under the city's grading system.
What Inspectors Found
Inspectors cited one violation during the April 2 inspection, classified as non-critical under the city's scoring methodology.
The cited violation — Code 08A — indicates that the establishment was found to not be free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects, or other pests. This category covers structural or environmental conditions that could allow pests to shelter, nest, or access food-contact areas, rather than direct evidence of an active infestation. The single violation carried enough point weight to bring the total score to 28, the threshold at which a Grade C is issued.
No critical violations were identified during this inspection. Critical violations, by contrast, involve factors more directly associated with foodborne illness risk, such as improper food temperatures, inadequate cooking, or contaminated food sources.
Food Safety Context
Pest harborage conditions are addressed under NYC Health Code Article 81, which governs food service establishment sanitation requirements throughout the five boroughs. Specifically, Article 81 requires that all food service establishments be maintained in a manner that prevents the entry, harboring, or breeding of insects, rodents, and other pests.
The FDA Food Code similarly identifies pest control as a foundational element of safe food service operations, noting that pests can serve as vectors for pathogens including Salmonella and E. coli. Harborage conditions — gaps in walls or flooring, improperly stored materials, or drainage issues — create environments where pests can establish themselves even absent a visible active infestation.
DOHMH inspectors are trained to identify conditions that, if left unaddressed, could escalate from environmental risk to direct food contamination. The Code 08A violation reflects that class of preventive concern.
Inspection History
No prior inspection history is available in the public DOHMH dataset for this location. This may indicate that Hooks Pizza is a recently opened establishment or that prior records are not yet reflected in the publicly accessible data.
When prior records are not available, it is not possible to assess whether the conditions documented in the April 2 inspection represent a recurring pattern or an isolated finding.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on the total point score calculated during a DOHMH inspection. The grading scale is as follows:
- A: Score of 0 to 13 points
- B: Score of 14 to 27 points
- C: Score of 28 points or higher
Each violation carries a point value determined by DOHMH based on the associated public health risk. A single violation can produce a range of scores depending on its classification and severity. Restaurants that receive a B or C on an initial inspection are typically re-inspected within a set period, at which point a new score is calculated and the resulting grade is posted.
Grades are required to be posted in a visible location at the establishment's entrance. Diners can look up current and historical inspection data for any city restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection search tool at nyc.gov/health, or through the NYC Open Data portal, where full inspection records are publicly available.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Hooks Pizza including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.