Cooked?
Cafe On 5Th, Sterling Affair
- gradeGrade A
- inspection score7 pts
- critical violations1
- last inspectedFebruary 12, 2026
- address1216 5 Avenue, Manhattan 10029
- cuisineAmerican
- phone2128227229
Is Cafe On 5Th, Sterling Affair clean?
Cafe On 5Th, Sterling Affair is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on February 12, 2026. 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 On 5Th, Sterling Affair?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 12, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🔪cross-contamination riskcriticalRaw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
When was Cafe On 5Th, Sterling Affair last inspected?
Cafe On 5Th, Sterling Affair has 4 inspections on record going back to March 22, 2023, averaging 12 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 12, 2026 | Grade A | 7 pts |
| December 30, 2025 | no grade issued ⏳ | 15 pts |
| August 1, 2024 | Grade A | 13 pts |
| March 22, 2023 | Grade A | 12 pts |
Cafe On 5Th, Sterling Affair vs East Harlem South
East Harlem South runs 74% clean across 150 tracked restaurants — 101 clean, 14 mid, 21 cooked.
Against the 150 spots Cooked tracks in East Harlem South, this one comes out cleaner than 79% of them.
Other spots in East Harlem 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.
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 February 12, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.