Cooked?
Essen
- gradeGrade B ⏳
- inspection score27 pts
- critical violations3
- last inspectedApril 23, 2025
- address515 Madison Avenue, Manhattan 10022
- cuisineAmerican
- phone9172995439
Is Essen clean?
Essen is currently Grade B ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on April 23, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬. There is a newer inspection the city has not ruled on yet, so the posted grade still stands for now.
What did inspectors find at Essen?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 23, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🌡️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.
- 🍲hot food sitting too coolcriticalHot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
- 🚿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.
- 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedcriticalFood contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
When was Essen last inspected?
Essen has 9 inspections on record going back to May 5, 2022, averaging 28 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| July 7, 2026 | no grade issued ⏳ | 20 pts |
| April 23, 2025 | Grade B | 27 pts |
| March 25, 2025 | no grade issued ⏳ | 39 pts |
| November 25, 2024 | Grade C | 32 pts |
| May 21, 2024 | no grade issued ⏳ | 20 pts |
| December 6, 2022 | Grade C | 5 pts |
| December 5, 2022 | closed by the city | 11 pts |
| December 2, 2022 | closed by the city | 49 pts |
| May 5, 2022 | no grade issued ⏳ | 46 pts |
Essen vs Midtown-Midtown South
Midtown-Midtown South runs 84% clean across 2,257 tracked restaurants — 1,596 clean, 96 mid, 216 cooked.
Against the 2,257 spots Cooked tracks in Midtown-Midtown South, this one comes out cleaner than 6% of them.
Other spots in Midtown-Midtown 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 April 23, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.