Manhattan, NY — A health inspection at Q Marqet, an American restaurant at 38 East 98th Street in Manhattan, resulted in a score of 27 on March 23, 2026 — the maximum possible score within the Grade B range and one point below the threshold for a Grade C. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) released the inspection data on March 25, 2026.
What Inspectors Found
Inspectors documented one critical violation during the visit: Code 02B, indicating that hot temperature-controlled for safety (TCS) food was not held at or above 140°F. No non-critical violations were recorded.
Holding hot food at or above 140°F is a foundational food safety requirement. Foods that fall below this threshold enter the temperature danger zone — between 41°F and 140°F — where bacterial growth can accelerate significantly. A single critical violation of this type was sufficient to generate a score of 27, placing the restaurant at the very top of the Grade B band.
Food Safety Context
NYC Health Code Article 81 governs food temperature requirements for restaurants operating in the city. The FDA Food Code, which New York State and City regulations align with, establishes the 140°F minimum holding temperature for hot TCS foods including cooked meats, poultry, soups, and prepared dishes. These standards exist to reduce the risk of foodborne illness caused by pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, and Clostridium perfringens, which can proliferate rapidly in improperly held food.
A score of 27 carries particular significance because it sits at the boundary of two grade categories. Under DOHMH's grading system, any score from 28 upward would have resulted in a Grade C posting. The restaurant retained a Grade B posting by a margin of one point.
Inspection History
Q Marqet has a mixed recent inspection record. The prior year's initial inspection in January 2025 produced a strong result, but earlier years reflect significant variability, including a closure:
- January 28, 2025: Score 13 (Grade A)
- December 30, 2024: Score 31
- April 2, 2024: Score 23 (Grade B)
- June 2, 2023: Score 34
- January 17, 2023: Score 9 (Grade C)
- January 12, 2023: Score 65, closed by DOHMH
- June 27, 2022: Score 0
The January 2023 closure followed a score of 65, which represents a severe violation profile. The restaurant's most recent result prior to this inspection — a Grade A with a score of 13 in January 2025 — represented a notable improvement from that period. The March 2026 score of 27 marks a regression from that high point.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
DOHMH posts letter grades at restaurant entrances based on scores from unannounced inspections. The grading scale is as follows:
- Grade A: Score of 0–13 points
- Grade B: Score of 14–27 points
- Grade C: Score of 28 or more points
Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations. Scores in the upper portion of the Grade B range — such as the 27 recorded here — reflect conditions that inspectors found warranted significant point deductions, even when the total number of violations is small.
Inspection records for all New York City restaurants are publicly available through the DOHMH's NYC Restaurant Inspection Results database at nyc.gov. Consumers can search by restaurant name, address, or cuisine type to review full inspection histories.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Q Marqet including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.