Benjamin Prime

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedOctober 21, 2024
• inspection score27 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJune 16, 2026 →
• address23 East 40 Street, Manhattan 10016
• cuisineSteakhouse
• phone2123380818

Is Benjamin Prime clean?

Benjamin Prime currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on October 21, 2024 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on June 16, 2026 scoring 27 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 3 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 Benjamin Prime?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 16, 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 not properly sanitizedcritical
  Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 🛠️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.

When was Benjamin Prime last inspected?

Benjamin Prime has 2 inspections on record going back to October 21, 2024, averaging 18 points.

Benjamin Prime vs Murray Hill-Kips Bay

Murray Hill-Kips Bay runs 80% clean across 378 tracked restaurants — 275 clean, 23 mid, 47 cooked.

Against the 378 spots Cooked tracks in Murray Hill-Kips Bay, this one comes out cleaner than 73% of them.

Other spots in Murray Hill-Kips Bay

• A A.W.O.L. Bar & Grill
  clean · February 12, 2026
• B The Flatiron Room
  mid · December 26, 2024
• A Norma
  clean · April 1, 2026
• A Omar's Mediterranean Cuisine
  clean · December 9, 2024
• A The Gem Saloon
  clean · July 15, 2024
• A Sushi Zo
  clean · January 24, 2020

See every restaurant inspection in Murray Hill-Kips Bay →

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.

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 June 16, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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Cooked covers 10 cities on official inspection data — see who's clean, mid, or cooked near you.