Queens, NY — Re La Guntang, a Chinese restaurant located at 133-18 39th Avenue in Flushing, received a score of 44 during a health inspection conducted on October 9, 2025, placing it in Grade C territory under New York City's restaurant grading system. The inspection, with data released by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 9, 2026, documented one critical violation related to food contamination protection.

What Inspectors Found

During the October 2025 inspection, DOHMH inspectors identified a critical violation under code 06C, which addresses the protection of food, supplies, and equipment from potential sources of contamination.

Specifically, inspectors found that food, supplies, or equipment were not adequately protected from potential contamination sources during storage, preparation, transportation, display, or service. The citation also noted issues with condiments not being provided in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor. This violation category addresses a fundamental food safety requirement — maintaining barriers between food products and environmental contamination sources throughout all stages of handling.

While only one critical violation and no non-critical violations were formally recorded, the inspection score of 44 points indicates that inspectors documented conditions across multiple areas of concern during their evaluation. Under the DOHMH scoring system, each violation carries a specific point value based on its severity and the conditions observed, and a single visit can result in points assessed across several categories.

The action taken by DOHMH was to cite the violations found during the inspection. No closure order was issued at the time of the inspection.

Food Safety Context

The protection of food from contamination sources is a core requirement under both NYC Health Code Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, which serves as the model for local food safety regulations across the United States. These regulations require that food establishments maintain proper safeguards at every stage of food handling — from receiving and storage through preparation and service to customers.

The FDA Food Code specifically addresses contamination prevention in Chapter 3, requiring that food be protected from cross-contamination by separating raw animal foods from ready-to-eat items, storing food in covered containers, and ensuring that condiments are dispensed in a manner that prevents contamination from customer contact. Single-service condiment containers or vendor-controlled dispensing systems are required to prevent repeated customer handling of shared condiment vessels, which can introduce biological and physical contaminants.

A score of 44 points places Re La Guntang well above the 28-point threshold for a Grade C designation. Under New York City's grading system, restaurants receiving initial scores in Grade C range are typically scheduled for a re-inspection, during which the establishment has an opportunity to correct cited violations and potentially achieve a lower score.

Inspection History

No prior inspection history was available in the DOHMH public database for this establishment at the time of data release. This may indicate that the October 2025 inspection was the restaurant's first graded inspection on record, or that prior records were associated with a different permit or business entity at this location.

It should be noted that there is a significant gap between the inspection date of October 9, 2025, and the data release date of March 9, 2026 — approximately five months. Conditions at the restaurant may have changed since the inspection was conducted, and the establishment may have undergone subsequent re-inspections not yet reflected in the publicly available data.

Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades

New York City's restaurant grading system, administered by DOHMH, assigns letter grades based on inspection scores:

  • A: 0-13 points — The restaurant is in substantial compliance with food safety regulations
  • B: 14-27 points — The restaurant has some violations requiring correction
  • C: 28 or more points — The restaurant has significant violations that need to be addressed

Restaurants are required to post their current grade card in a location visible to the public near the entrance. Consumers can verify any restaurant's inspection results and current grade through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online at the NYC Open Data portal or through the ABC Eats application.

For questions about restaurant inspections or to file a food safety complaint, residents can contact DOHMH through the 311 service line or visit nyc.gov/health.

More About This Restaurant

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