Manhattan, NY — A routine health inspection at Liquid, a Latin American restaurant located at 3859 10th Avenue in Manhattan, resulted in a score of 29 and a Grade C rating following a March 25, 2026 inspection conducted by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Inspection data was made publicly available on March 31, 2026. The visit documented 8 critical violations and 24 non-critical violations across multiple operational areas.

What Inspectors Found

The most significant violations cited during the inspection involved food safety at the most fundamental level. Inspectors recorded four separate instances of Code 04H — food that was adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plan. This violation, cited multiple times, indicates a pattern of food handling concerns across different areas or points in the operation.

Two critical violations under Code 06B were also documented, identifying tobacco or electronic cigarette use, eating, or drinking from open containers in food preparation, food storage, or dishwashing areas. The presence of tobacco activity in these zones presents a direct contamination risk to food and food-contact surfaces.

Two additional critical violations under Code 04J noted that properly scaled and calibrated thermometers or thermocouples were not provided or not readily accessible in food preparation and hot/cold holding areas. Temperature monitoring equipment is a foundational requirement for safely managing temperature-controlled-for-safety (TCS) foods during cooking, cooling, reheating, and holding.

Among the non-critical violations, inspectors identified multiple instances of the following:

  • Smoking or electronic cigarette use in prohibited areas (Code 15-01, cited twice)
  • Flavored tobacco products sold or offered for sale (Code 15-21, cited five times)
  • Failure to make a good faith effort to inform smokers of Smoke-Free Air Act prohibitions (Code 15-42, cited twice)
  • Failure to conspicuously post healthy eating information (Code 20-08, cited four times)
  • Food allergy information poster not posted in food preparation areas (Code 20-01, cited three times)
  • Wash hands signs not posted near hand washing sinks (Code 09E, cited three times)
  • Dishwashing and ware washing deficiencies (Code 10G)
  • Non-food contact surfaces made of unacceptable material or not kept clean (Code 10F, cited twice)
  • Conditions constituting a nuisance under Code 28-01 (cited twice)

Food Safety Context

Under NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, food service establishments are required to implement and maintain food safety management systems that prevent contamination at all stages of food handling. HACCP plans are a core component of this framework, providing documented procedures for identifying and controlling biological, chemical, and physical hazards.

The repeated citation of Code 04H violations suggests that inspectors identified food safety failures at multiple points in the operation, rather than a single isolated incident. Similarly, the absence of calibrated thermometers — cited twice — means that staff lacked the basic tools necessary to verify that TCS foods were held or cooked to safe temperatures.

The Smoke-Free Air Act, enforced alongside the Health Code, prohibits smoking and electronic cigarette use in all enclosed workplaces, including restaurant kitchens and food storage areas. Violations of these provisions in a food preparation environment raise concerns about both employee health and food contamination.

Inspection History

Liquid's prior inspection record includes one previous visit on record:

  • February 14, 2026: Score 29 (Grade N — score pending re-inspection)

The February 2026 inspection also resulted in a score of 29, which at that time was classified as Grade N (grade not yet assigned, pending a re-inspection or adjudication). The March 2026 inspection resulted in a confirmed Grade C designation based on that same score range.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

DOHMH assigns letter grades to restaurants following inspections based on the total point score recorded:

  • A: 0 to 13 points — fewest violations
  • B: 14 to 27 points — moderate violations
  • C: 28 or more points — most violations

Each point corresponds to a specific violation, with critical violations generally carrying higher point values than non-critical ones. A Grade C indicates that a restaurant accumulated 28 or more points during the inspection cycle.

Restaurant grades must be posted in a window visible from the street. Consumers can look up full inspection histories, including violation details and scores, through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database available at the NYC Open Data portal and through the city's official restaurant grading website.

More About This Restaurant

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