Brooklyn, NY — Tulips And Sips, a coffee and tea establishment at 366 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, was closed by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) following a health inspection conducted on February 12, 2026. The inspection resulted in a score of 99, far exceeding the 28-point threshold for the lowest passing grade, and documented a critical violation related to the establishment's sewage disposal system.
The closure action was taken immediately, with inspectors noting that violations requiring urgent attention were addressed on site. Inspection data was released publicly by DOHMH on February 13, 2026.
What Inspectors Found
During the February 12 inspection, DOHMH inspectors identified one critical violation at the Bedford Avenue location:
- Violation Code 05A: The sewage disposal system was found to be not provided, improper, inadequate, or unapproved.
This violation falls under the infrastructure and facility maintenance category of the NYC restaurant inspection framework. A properly functioning sewage disposal system is considered essential to food service operations, as failures in waste removal can create conditions that compromise food safety and sanitary standards throughout an establishment.
No non-critical violations were documented during the inspection. The single critical finding related to the sewage system accounted for the entirety of the establishment's 99-point score. Under the NYC inspection scoring system, critical violations carry significantly higher point values than non-critical violations, reflecting the greater potential risk they pose to public health.
The score of 99 places the inspection result well above the Grade C threshold of 28 or more points, and represents one of the higher scores that can be recorded for a single-violation inspection.
Food Safety Context
NYC Health Code Article 81 establishes the regulatory framework governing food service establishments in New York City. Under these regulations, DOHMH inspectors have the authority to close any establishment that presents an imminent health hazard to the public. Sewage disposal system failures are classified among the conditions that may warrant immediate closure action, as they can affect the overall sanitary environment in which food and beverages are prepared and served.
The FDA Food Code, which serves as the model framework for local food safety regulations nationwide, similarly identifies adequate sewage disposal as a fundamental requirement for food service operations. Section 5-402 of the FDA Food Code specifies that sewage must be disposed of through an approved sewage disposal system that is constructed, maintained, and operated according to applicable law.
For a coffee and tea establishment, where beverages are prepared using water and served directly to customers, the integrity of plumbing and waste disposal systems is particularly relevant. Any compromise to these systems can potentially affect water quality and the overall sanitary conditions of the service environment.
DOHMH conducts unannounced inspections of approximately 27,000 food service establishments across New York City each year. When an establishment is closed, it may request a re-inspection to demonstrate that violations have been corrected and that the facility is safe to resume operations.
Inspection History
The February 12, 2026 closure was not the first time Tulips And Sips received a notable inspection score. Public records from DOHMH show the following inspection history:
- December 28, 2025: Score of 57, Grade N assigned
A Grade N designation indicates that the inspection occurred outside the establishment's regular grading cycle, or that the grade was pending adjudication. The December 2025 score of 57 also exceeded the Grade C threshold of 28 points, indicating that significant violations were documented at that time as well.
The pattern of two consecutive inspections with scores substantially above passing thresholds suggests ongoing compliance challenges at this location. Establishments that receive repeated high scores are typically subject to increased inspection frequency under DOHMH protocols.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City's restaurant grading system, administered by DOHMH, assigns letter grades based on inspection scores. Lower scores indicate fewer or less severe violations:
- Grade A: 0 to 13 points
- Grade B: 14 to 27 points
- Grade C: 28 or more points
Establishments are required to post their letter grade in a location visible to the public. Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection have the opportunity to be re-inspected, and may also contest their scores through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH).
Consumers can look up the inspection history of any New York City restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online at the NYC Open Data portal. This public resource provides detailed information about violations cited, scores received, and any enforcement actions taken.
The inspection data referenced in this article is sourced from publicly available DOHMH records. Residents and visitors are encouraged to review inspection histories when making dining decisions, while recognizing that a single inspection represents a snapshot of conditions at one point in time.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Tulips And Sips including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.