Lava Shawarma

• gradeGrade B
• inspection score25 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedMarch 11, 2025
• address1640 3 Avenue, Manhattan 10128
• cuisineMiddle Eastern
• phone6465590055

Is Lava Shawarma clean?

Lava Shawarma is currently Grade B from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on March 11, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Lava Shawarma?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 11, 2025, 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.
• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Anti-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.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Non-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 Lava Shawarma last inspected?

Lava Shawarma has 2 inspections on record going back to November 6, 2024, averaging 32 points.

Lava Shawarma vs Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill

Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill runs 83% clean across 354 tracked restaurants — 266 clean, 21 mid, 35 cooked.

Against the 354 spots Cooked tracks in Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, this one comes out cleaner than 13% of them.

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See every restaurant inspection in Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill →

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 March 11, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.