Bronx, NY — K-Soul, a Japanese restaurant at 3811 East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx, received a score of 21 following a health inspection conducted on March 25, 2026, placing it at the upper end of the Grade B range. The score was recorded in DOHMH data released on March 31, 2026.

A score of 21 qualifies for a Grade B under New York City's restaurant grading system, but sits just seven points below the Grade C threshold, making it one of the higher scores within that tier.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors cited one critical violation during the March inspection:

  • Code 06D: Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

This violation addresses surfaces that come into direct contact with food — such as cutting boards, prep tables, slicers, and utensils. Under NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, operators are required to clean and sanitize these surfaces at defined intervals and any time cross-contamination may have occurred. Failure to maintain proper sanitation of food contact surfaces is classified as a critical violation because it presents a direct potential pathway for foodborne illness.

No non-critical violations were recorded during this inspection.

Food Safety Context

New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducts unannounced inspections of all permitted food service establishments at least once per year. Violations are scored based on severity, with critical violations carrying higher point values than non-critical ones.

Critical violations, as defined under NYC Health Code Article 81 and aligned with FDA Food Code standards, are those most directly linked to the risk of foodborne illness. A single critical violation can substantially affect a restaurant's total score. The FDA Food Code identifies inadequate sanitization of food contact surfaces as a key contributing factor in foodborne illness outbreaks.

A score of 21 reflects one critical violation with no additional non-critical violations. While the restaurant retains a Grade B designation, the score places it near the upper boundary of that grade range.

Inspection History

K-Soul's recent inspection record is as follows:

  • March 25, 2026: Score 21 (Grade B)
  • December 18, 2025: Score 21 (Grade N)

The December 2025 inspection also produced a score of 21, recorded as a Grade N — a designation used when a restaurant is inspected for the first time or when insufficient prior data exists to assign a standard letter grade. The repeated score of 21 across two consecutive inspections suggests a consistent pattern rather than an isolated occurrence.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on their inspection scores:

  • Grade A: 0–13 points (lowest risk)
  • Grade B: 14–27 points
  • Grade C: 28 or more points (highest risk)

Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations. Grades must be posted visibly at the restaurant entrance so diners can review them before entering.

Inspection records for all NYC permitted food service establishments are publicly available through the NYC Open Data portal and the DOHMH restaurant inspection lookup tool at nyc.gov/health.

More About This Restaurant

View the full inspection history for K-Soul including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.