Cooked?
Cafe Bench
- gradeGrade A
- inspection score10 pts
- critical violations1
- last inspectedOctober 1, 2025
- address194-09 Northern Boulevard, Queens 11358
- cuisineKorean
- phone7182240703
Is Cafe Bench clean?
Cafe Bench is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on October 1, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Cafe Bench?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 1, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedcriticalFood contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
- 🛠️facility / equipment issueDishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
When was Cafe Bench last inspected?
Cafe Bench has 3 inspections on record going back to January 3, 2023, averaging 11 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| October 1, 2025 | Grade A | 10 pts |
| March 6, 2024 | Grade A | 11 pts |
| January 3, 2023 | Grade A | 12 pts |
Cafe Bench vs Auburndale
Auburndale runs 81% clean across 43 tracked restaurants — 34 clean, 4 mid, 4 cooked.
Against the 43 spots Cooked tracks in Auburndale, this one comes out cleaner than 52% of them.
Other spots in Auburndale
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 October 1, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.