Manhattan, NY — Nectar, an American restaurant located at 1090 Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, received a Grade B following a health inspection conducted on March 19, 2026. The restaurant's score of 25 placed it near the upper boundary of the B range, three points from the Grade C threshold. Inspection data was released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 23, 2026.

What Inspectors Found

Inspectors documented three violations during the March inspection — one critical and two non-critical.

The critical violation, Code 04M, cited the presence of live roaches in the facility's food or non-food area. Under NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, pest activity represents one of the most serious categories of food safety risk, as it can directly compromise the safety of food and food-contact surfaces.

The two non-critical violations addressed equipment and surface conditions. Code 09C cited improper design, construction, materials, or maintenance of food contact surfaces, specifically that surfaces were not easily cleanable, sanitizable, and maintained. Code 10F noted that non-food contact surfaces or equipment were made of unacceptable material, were not kept clean, or were not properly raised, spaced, or sealed to allow cleaning on all sides, above, and underneath the unit.

Food Safety Context

Under NYC Health Code Article 81, restaurants are scored on a point-based system during unannounced inspections. Critical violations — those most likely to contribute to foodborne illness — carry higher point values than non-critical violations. Live pest activity, as documented under Code 04M, is classified as a critical violation due to the direct risk pests pose to food safety.

The FDA Food Code similarly identifies pest control as a foundational component of safe food handling environments, requiring operators to maintain facilities free from insects and rodents through active prevention and control measures.

A score of 25 falls within the Grade B band but represents a meaningful increase from Nectar's recent inspection history, which had consistently produced Grade A results.

Inspection History

Nectar's prior inspection record reflects strong performance in recent years:

  • 2025-03-24: Score 11 (Grade A)
  • 2024-08-15: Score 12 (Grade A)
  • 2023-11-14: Score 19
  • 2022-07-07: Score 13 (Grade A)

The March 2026 score of 25 represents the restaurant's highest recorded score in at least four years of available inspection data.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City requires restaurants to post their letter grade prominently. Grades are assigned based on inspection scores as follows:

  • A: Score of 0–13 points (fewest violations)
  • B: Score of 14–27 points
  • C: Score of 28 or more points

Restaurants that receive a B or C on an initial inspection may request a re-inspection before a grade is officially posted. Current grades and full inspection histories for all NYC restaurants are publicly available through the DOHMH restaurant inspection lookup tool at the NYC Open Data portal.

More About This Restaurant

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