Cava Mezze Grill

• gradeGrade A
• inspection score13 pts
• critical violations2
• last inspectedJanuary 7, 2026 →
• address280 Madison Avenue, Manhattan 10016
• cuisineMexican
• phone7188860818

Is Cava Mezze Grill clean?

Cava Mezze Grill is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on January 7, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Cava Mezze Grill?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 7, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 🧼staff skipping handwashingcritical
  Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.

When was Cava Mezze Grill last inspected?

Cava Mezze Grill has 3 inspections on record going back to June 15, 2023, averaging 17 points.

Cava Mezze Grill vs Murray Hill-Kips Bay

Murray Hill-Kips Bay runs 79% clean across 379 tracked restaurants — 274 clean, 23 mid, 48 cooked.

Against the 379 spots Cooked tracks in Murray Hill-Kips Bay, this one comes out cleaner than 21% of them.

Other spots in Murray Hill-Kips Bay

• A Previti Pasta & Pizza
  clean · December 30, 2025
• A Mulligan's
  clean · September 10, 2025
• B Ground Central Coffee Company
  mid · February 2, 2026
• A Los Tacos No.1
  clean · August 25, 2026
• A Pestana Hotel Group
  clean · December 5, 2025
• A Black Star Bakery & Cafe
  clean · November 24, 2025

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.

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 7, 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.