Queens, NY — Kazan, a Japanese restaurant located at 104-09 Metropolitan Avenue in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, received a Grade C following a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on March 23, 2026. The restaurant recorded a score of 31 points, placing it in the Grade C category. Inspection data was released by DOHMH on March 26, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented one critical violation during the March inspection. The citation — classified under Code 05H — identified that the establishment had no approved written standard operating procedure (SOP) in place for preventing contamination associated with refillable or returnable containers.

Refillable containers, such as sauce bottles, oil dispensers, or reusable beverage vessels, present a documented contamination risk when not properly managed. Without a written SOP, staff have no formal protocol for cleaning, sanitizing, and verifying the safety of these containers before refilling them for customer use. Regulators require such procedures to be documented and available for review, not merely practiced informally.

The violation was classified as critical, meaning inspectors determined it represented a condition with a direct or significant potential to cause foodborne illness.

Food Safety Context

Under NYC Health Code Article 81, food service establishments operating in New York City are required to maintain written procedures addressing specific food safety risks, including those associated with refillable containers. This requirement aligns with guidance in the FDA Food Code, which establishes national standards that New York City's local regulations reflect and often exceed.

The purpose of a written SOP in this context is to ensure consistency across staff and shifts. Verbal instructions alone are not considered sufficient documentation under applicable health code standards. The absence of such a procedure — regardless of actual practice on the floor — constitutes a citable violation.

Critical violations are weighted more heavily in NYC's scoring system than non-critical violations. A single critical violation can contribute significantly to a restaurant's total point score. In this case, the one critical violation documented contributed to a total score of 31, which falls within the Grade C range.

No non-critical violations were cited during this inspection.

Inspection History

DOHMH records do not include prior inspection history for Kazan at this location. This inspection represents the first available record in the city's public database for this establishment.

The absence of prior history may reflect a recent opening, a change in ownership or operating entity, or a gap in publicly available records.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's letter grading system for restaurants is based on the total point score assigned during an unannounced DOHMH inspection. Points are assessed for each violation found, with more serious violations carrying higher point values. The grading scale is as follows:

  • Grade A: Score of 0 to 13 points
  • Grade B: Score of 14 to 27 points
  • Grade C: Score of 28 points or higher

Restaurants that receive a score above 13 on an initial inspection are not immediately issued a letter grade. They are typically given the opportunity for a second inspection — known as a re-inspection — before a public grade is posted. If the re-inspection score remains above 13, a Grade B or Grade C card is posted at the establishment.

A Grade C posting does not automatically result in closure. DOHMH closes restaurants when inspectors determine that conditions pose an imminent public health hazard. In this case, the restaurant was not closed as a result of the March 23 inspection.

Residents can look up inspection records, scores, and violation details for any NYC restaurant through the DOHMH's online restaurant inspection database at nyc.gov/health. Records are updated regularly as new inspections are conducted and data is processed.

More About This Restaurant

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