Cooked?
Columbus Cafe
- gradeGrade pending
- inspection score23 pts
- critical violations2
- last inspectedJune 12, 2026
- address556 Columbus Avenue, Manhattan 10024
- cuisineSandwiches
- phone2127219040
Is Columbus Cafe clean?
New York currently lists Columbus Cafe as grade pending, following an inspection on June 12, 2026 that scored 23 points. The city has not posted a letter yet, and it will not until a re-inspection settles it. The last grade it ever posted here was B on December 11, 2024.
What did inspectors find at Columbus Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 12, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pestsEstablishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
- 🪰flies in the housecriticalFilth flies or food/refuse/sewage associated with (FRSA) flies or other nuisance pests in establishment’s food and/or non-food areas. FRSA flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies.
- 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcriticalCold 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 / setup not up to codeNon-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 Columbus Cafe last inspected?
Columbus Cafe has 5 inspections on record going back to July 9, 2024, averaging 25 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| June 12, 2026 | no grade issued ⏳ | 23 pts |
| April 22, 2026 | no grade issued ⏳ | 21 pts |
| February 27, 2026 | — | |
| December 11, 2024 | Grade B | 25 pts |
| July 9, 2024 | no grade issued ⏳ | 29 pts |
Columbus Cafe vs Upper West Side
Upper West Side runs 81% clean across 416 tracked restaurants — 315 clean, 20 mid, 56 cooked.
Against the 416 spots Cooked tracks in Upper West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 5% of them.
Other spots in Upper West Side
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 12, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.