Manhattan, NY — Tubby Hook Tavern, an American restaurant at 4946 Broadway in the Inwood neighborhood, received a Grade C following a health inspection conducted March 16, 2026. Inspectors documented a score of 31, placing the establishment in Grade C territory under New York City's restaurant grading system. Inspection data was released by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on March 19, 2026.
What Inspectors Found
The inspection identified one critical violation and no non-critical violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant under Code 02G for failing to maintain cold temperature-controlled for safety (TCS) food items at or below required temperatures. Under this code, cold TCS foods must be held at or below 41°F, smoked or processed fish at or below 38°F, intact raw eggs at or below 45°F, and reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods at their specified required temperatures — except during active and necessary preparation.
Temperature control is one of the most closely monitored areas of food safety inspection. When cold foods are held above safe thresholds, bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli can multiply to levels that pose health risks. Inspectors are trained to identify when food has been held at improper temperatures based on internal food temperature readings taken during the inspection.
No non-critical violations were recorded alongside the critical finding.
Food Safety Context
NYC Health Code Article 81 establishes the food safety standards that all New York City food service establishments are required to follow. Temperature control requirements are drawn from both Article 81 and the FDA Food Code, which provides the scientific basis for safe holding temperatures across food categories.
Critical violations — those coded to directly increase the risk of foodborne illness — carry a higher point value in DOHMH scoring than non-critical violations. A single critical violation can contribute significantly to a restaurant's total score. In this case, the single violation documented was sufficient to produce a score of 31, placing Tubby Hook Tavern in Grade C range.
Restaurants that receive a score above 13 on an initial inspection are subject to a re-inspection, at which point they may receive a letter grade or request a grade pending hearing. The grade posted at the restaurant reflects the most recent graded inspection.
Inspection History
Tubby Hook Tavern has been inspected multiple times in recent years. Its prior record includes:
- Nov 13, 2024: Score 13 (Grade A)
- Mar 26, 2024: Score 22
- Dec 7, 2022: Score 11 (Grade A)
- Jul 6, 2022: Score 21
The restaurant had maintained Grade A ratings on its two most recent graded inspections prior to the March 2026 visit, with scores of 13 and 11 respectively. The scores of 22 and 21 recorded in March 2024 and July 2022 fell in Grade B range and did not result in posted letter grades, consistent with the re-inspection cycle for initial scores above 13.
The jump from a Grade A in November 2024 to a score of 31 in March 2026 represents a notable change in inspection outcome for this location.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City's letter grading system is based on the total point score assigned during a DOHMH inspection. Each violation carries a set point value depending on its severity and public health risk. The grade thresholds are:
- Grade A: Score of 0–13 points
- Grade B: Score of 14–27 points
- Grade C: Score of 28 points or higher
Grades must be posted at the restaurant entrance and are publicly accessible through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database. Consumers can search any NYC restaurant's full inspection history, including violation details and scores, at nyc.gov/health.
Restaurants have the right to request a hearing before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) to contest violations. They may also request a re-inspection before a grade is officially posted.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Tubby Hook Tavern including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.