Best Bagels

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedJanuary 13, 2025
• inspection score38 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedJune 11, 2026 →
• address225 West 35 Street, Manhattan 10001
• cuisineBagels/Pretzels
• phone3474536000

Is Best Bagels clean?

Best Bagels currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on January 13, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on June 11, 2026 scoring 38 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 4 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 Best Bagels?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 11, 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.
• 🧻grimy wiping clothscritical
  Wiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🛠️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.
• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🧽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.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Mechanical or natural ventilation not provided, inadequate, improperly installed, in disrepair or fails to prevent and control excessive build-up of grease, heat, steam condensation, vapors, odors, smoke or fumes.
• 🍽️dishwashing setup off
  Single service article not provided. Single service article reused or not protected from contamination when transported, stored, dispensed. Drinking straws not completely enclosed in wrapper or dispensed from a sanitary device.

When was Best Bagels last inspected?

Best Bagels has 4 inspections on record going back to August 23, 2023, averaging 23 points.

Best Bagels 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.

Other spots in Midtown-Midtown South

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• A Zucker's Bagels & Smoked Fish
  clean · August 8, 2025
• A Ground Central Coffee Company
  clean · March 17, 2026
• A Le Cafe Coffee
  clean · March 18, 2026
• A Petite Dumpling
  clean · December 11, 2025
• B Padi D' Nyc
  mid · February 5, 2026

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 June 11, 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.