Manhattan, NY — Yongchuan, a Chinese restaurant located at 90 Clinton Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side, received a score of 43 during a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) inspection conducted on February 20, 2026. The score places the restaurant in Grade C territory, the lowest passing grade in the city's restaurant grading system.
Inspectors documented one critical violation and one non-critical violation during the inspection. The data was released by DOHMH on February 27, 2026.
What Inspectors Found
The most significant finding was a critical violation related to personal cleanliness standards. Inspectors cited the restaurant under violation code 06A, which covers multiple aspects of food handler hygiene. The citation noted that personal cleanliness was inadequate, with documentation of an outer garment soiled with a possible contaminant, failure to wear effective hair restraints where required, jewelry worn on hands or arms, and either fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
Personal hygiene violations are classified as critical because food handlers who do not maintain proper cleanliness standards can directly introduce biological, chemical, or physical contaminants into food during preparation and service. Direct hand contact with food is one of the most common pathways for transmitting foodborne pathogens.
The restaurant was also cited for a non-critical violation under code 20-08 for failure to conspicuously post healthy eating information. NYC restaurants are required to display certain nutritional and health-related information for customers as part of the city's public health initiatives.
Food Safety Context
The personal cleanliness standards cited in this inspection are established under NYC Health Code Article 81, which governs food service establishments across the five boroughs. Article 81 requires food workers to maintain clean outer garments, wear effective hair restraints in food preparation areas, remove hand and arm jewelry during food handling, and keep fingernails clean, trimmed, and free of polish.
These requirements align with the FDA Food Code, which serves as the model framework for food safety regulation nationwide. The FDA Food Code specifically addresses employee hygiene in Chapter 2, emphasizing that proper personal cleanliness is a fundamental control measure for preventing foodborne illness. Soiled garments can harbor bacteria and other contaminants that may transfer to food or food-contact surfaces during the course of normal kitchen operations.
The healthy eating information posting requirement reflects the city's broader public health communication strategy, ensuring that diners have access to nutritional guidance when making food choices.
Inspection History
No prior inspection history is available for Yongchuan in the DOHMH public database. This may indicate that the February 20, 2026 inspection was the establishment's first recorded inspection, or that the restaurant operates under a recently issued permit. It may also reflect a change in ownership or business name at this location.
Without prior inspection data, it is not possible to identify trends or patterns in the restaurant's compliance history. Future inspections will establish a baseline for evaluating the restaurant's ongoing food safety practices.
Understanding NYC Restaurant Grades
New York City assigns letter grades to restaurants based on the total number of violation points recorded during inspections. Fewer points indicate fewer or less severe violations:
- Grade A: 0 to 13 points
- Grade B: 14 to 27 points
- Grade C: 28 or more points
Yongchuan's score of 43 falls within the Grade C range. Restaurants that receive a Grade B or C on an initial inspection are entitled to a re-inspection, during which they have the opportunity to correct violations and potentially achieve a lower score. Restaurants may also contest their grades through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH).
Grade cards must be posted at the entrance of the restaurant where they are visible to the public. This grading system, administered by DOHMH, has been in effect since 2010 and is designed to provide transparency about restaurant food safety conditions.
Consumers can look up inspection results for any NYC restaurant through the DOHMH restaurant inspection database, available online. All inspection data referenced in this article is drawn from public records maintained by the City of New York.
More About This Restaurant
View the full inspection history for Yongchuan including all past inspections, violations, and grade changes.