Paola's Restaurant

• gradeGrade B ⏳
• grade postedNovember 17, 2023
• inspection score20 pts
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMay 12, 2026 →
• address1361 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan 10128
• cuisineItalian
• phone9179026368

Is Paola's Restaurant clean?

Paola's Restaurant currently carries Grade B ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on November 17, 2023 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on May 12, 2026 scoring 20 points — but NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has not ruled on that visit, so no new grade has been issued. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads mid 😬; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at Paola's Restaurant?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 12, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Accurate thermometer not provided or properly located in refrigerated, cold storage or hot holding equipment
• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• ⚠️Current letter grade or Grade Pending card not posted
• 🛠️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.
• 🚿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.

When was Paola's Restaurant last inspected?

Paola's Restaurant has 2 inspections on record going back to November 17, 2023, averaging 24 points.

Paola's Restaurant vs Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill

Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill runs 83% clean across 360 tracked restaurants — 267 clean, 21 mid, 35 cooked.

Against the 360 spots Cooked tracks in Upper East Side-Carnegie Hill, this one comes out cleaner than 5% 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.

Read the New York ratings guide →

Inspection findings and available history come from the authority’s published records. Cooked checks daily; publication can lag behind an inspection. Read the date on each result and check the official source for newer information.

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 12, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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