Lena's Italian Kitchen

• gradeGrade B
• inspection score23 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedMay 15, 2025
• address551 2 Avenue, Manhattan 10016
• cuisineItalian
• phone6468465362

Is Lena's Italian Kitchen clean?

Lena's Italian Kitchen is currently Grade B from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on May 15, 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 Lena's Italian Kitchen?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 15, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🍽️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.
• 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcritical
  Cold 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 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.
• 🧻grimy wiping clothscritical
  Wiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses.
• 🧼staff skipping handwashingcritical
  Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.

When was Lena's Italian Kitchen last inspected?

Lena's Italian Kitchen has 5 inspections on record going back to April 10, 2023, averaging 29 points.

Lena's Italian Kitchen vs Murray Hill-Kips Bay

Murray Hill-Kips Bay runs 79% clean across 372 tracked restaurants — 271 clean, 23 mid, 48 cooked.

Against the 372 spots Cooked tracks in Murray Hill-Kips Bay, this one comes out cleaner than 17% of them.

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See every restaurant inspection in Murray Hill-Kips Bay →

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 May 15, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.