Bao Bao

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedJune 11, 2024
• inspection score45 pts
• critical violations5
• last inspectedJanuary 5, 2026 →
• address214 West 39 Street, Manhattan 10018
• cuisineChinese
• phone9179652214

Is Bao Bao clean?

Bao Bao currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on June 11, 2024 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on January 5, 2026 scoring 45 points — but NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has not ruled on that visit, so no new grade has been issued. Inspectors wrote up 5 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads clean 😇; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at Bao Bao?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 5, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcritical
  Cold TCS food item held above 41 °F; smoked or processed fish held above 38 °F; intact raw eggs held above 45 °F; or reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above required temperatures except during active necessary preparation.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Non-food contact surface or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.
• 🍴utensils stored sketchycritical
  Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedcritical
  Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• 🧫equipment / surface issue
  Thawing procedure improper.
• 🗑️garbage situation out of pocket
  Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
• ❓food from a mystery sourcecritical
  Food, prohibited, from unapproved or unknown source, home canned or home prepared. Animal slaughtered, butchered or dressed (eviscerated, skinned) in establishment. Reduced Oxygen Packaged (ROP) fish not frozen before processing. ROP food prepared on premises transported to another site.

When was Bao Bao last inspected?

Bao Bao has 3 inspections on record going back to March 28, 2023, averaging 22 points.

Bao Bao vs Midtown-Midtown South

Midtown-Midtown South runs 83% clean across 2,302 tracked restaurants — 1,604 clean, 93 mid, 234 cooked.

Against the 2,302 spots Cooked tracks in Midtown-Midtown South, this one comes out cleaner than 57% of them.

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• ⏳ Frame
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See every restaurant inspection in Midtown-Midtown South →

How New York grades restaurants

New York City health inspectors score violations in points, and lower is better: 0–13 points earns an A, 14–27 a B, and 28 or more a C. Every restaurant is inspected at least once a year, and the letter has to be posted in the window. A restaurant that scores 14 or more on the first inspection of a cycle does not get a letter right away — it stays “Grade Pending” until a re-inspection settles it, which is why some spots here show an hourglass instead of a letter. Cooked only ever shows a letter the city actually posted; we never infer one from a score.

Read the New York ratings guide →

Inspection findings and available history come from the authority’s published records. Cooked checks daily; publication can lag behind an inspection. Read the date on each result and check the official source for newer information.

Source: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) via NYC Open Data. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated January 5, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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