Harlem Tavern

• gradeGrade B
• inspection score24 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedApril 20, 2026
• address2153 8 Avenue, Manhattan 10026
• cuisineAmerican
• phone2128664500

Is Harlem Tavern clean?

Harlem Tavern is currently Grade B from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on April 20, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 4 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Harlem Tavern?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 20, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🐀rats have moved incritical
  Evidence of rats or live rats in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🪳roaches are dining toocritical
  Live roaches in facility's food or non-food area.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedcritical
  Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• 🍽️dishwashing setup off
  Single service article not provided. Single service article reused or not protected from contamination when transported, stored, dispensed. Drinking straws not completely enclosed in wrapper or dispensed from a sanitary device.
• 🔪cross-contamination riskcritical
  Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.

When was Harlem Tavern last inspected?

Harlem Tavern has 4 inspections on record going back to October 23, 2024, averaging 46 points.

Harlem Tavern 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 16% of them.

Other spots in Central Harlem South

• A Amy Ruth's
  clean · February 9, 2026
• ⏳ Keur Coumba
  cooked · January 28, 2026
• A New King Wok Restaurant
  clean · November 25, 2025
• A Dunkin
  clean · April 17, 2026
• A Zoe Cafe
  clean · April 27, 2026
• A Harlem Shake
  clean · September 11, 2025

See every restaurant inspection 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 April 20, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.