Cooked?
Dave's Hot Chicken
- gradeGrade A
- inspection score7 pts
- critical violations1
- last inspectedJanuary 14, 2026
- address252 West 125 Street, Manhattan 10027
- cuisineAmerican
- phone9089270130
Is Dave's Hot Chicken clean?
Dave's Hot Chicken is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on January 14, 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 Dave's Hot Chicken?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 14, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Sodium Warning icon not posted on menus, menu boards or food tags for food items that contain 2300mg or more of sodium in a food service establishment that is 1 of 15 or more outlets operating the same type of business nationally under common ownership or control, or as a franchise or doing business under the same name, for each menu item that is served in portions, the size and content of which are standardizedSodium Warning icon not posted on menus, menu boards or food tags for food items that contain 2300mg or more of sodium in a food service establishment that is 1 of 15 or more outlets operating the same type of business nationally under common ownership or control, or as a franchise or doing business under the same name, for each menu item that is served in portions, the size and content of which are standardized
- 🍽️food left out / unprotectedcriticalFood, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, service or from customer’s refillable, reusable container. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- 🚿plumbing acting upAnti-siphonage or back-flow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly. Condensation or liquid waste improperly disposed of.
When was Dave's Hot Chicken last inspected?
Dave's Hot Chicken has 1 inspection on record going back to January 14, 2026, averaging 7 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| January 14, 2026 | Grade A | 7 pts |
Dave's Hot Chicken vs Central Harlem South
Central Harlem South runs 76% clean across 110 tracked restaurants — 79 clean, 9 mid, 16 cooked.
Against the 110 spots Cooked tracks in Central Harlem South, this one comes out cleaner than 79% of them.
Other spots in Central 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 January 14, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.