Mei Lai Wah

• gradeGrade pending
• inspection score53 pts
• critical violations7
• last inspectedJuly 1, 2026
• address41 Mott Street, Manhattan 10013
• cuisineBakery Products/Desserts
• phone6467255776

Is Mei Lai Wah clean?

New York currently lists Mei Lai Wah as grade pending, following an inspection on July 1, 2026 that scored 53 points. The city has not posted a letter yet, and it will not until a re-inspection settles it.

What did inspectors find at Mei Lai Wah?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 1, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 🧫food contact surfaces dirty
  Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
• 🧽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.
• 🍴utensils stored sketchycritical
  Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
• 🌡️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.
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  No hand washing facility in or adjacent to toilet room or within 25 feet of a food preparation, food service or ware washing area. Hand washing facility not accessible, obstructed or used for non-hand washing purposes. No hot and cold running water or water at inadequate pressure. No soap or acceptable hand-drying device.
• 🚿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.
• 🗑️garbage situation out of pocket
  Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
• 🛠️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.
• 🍽️food left out / unprotectedcritical
  Food, 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.
• 🧫equipment / surface issuecritical
  Swollen, leaking, rusted or otherwise damaged canned food to be returned to distributor not segregated from intact product and clearly labeled DO NOT USE

When was Mei Lai Wah last inspected?

Mei Lai Wah has 3 inspections on record going back to December 23, 2025, averaging 45 points.

Mei Lai Wah vs Chinatown

Chinatown runs 74% clean across 671 tracked restaurants — 443 clean, 46 mid, 106 cooked.

Against the 671 spots Cooked tracks in Chinatown, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Chinatown

• ⏳ The Crown
  cooked · May 15, 2026
• A Smiley Coffee
  clean · September 30, 2025
• A Chang Jiang Bakery
  clean · December 30, 2025
• ⏳ Armada
  cooked · July 21, 2026
• ? Leciel
  not rated
• ⏳ Zara Pizza
  cooked · April 23, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Chinatown →

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 July 1, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.