Ponty Bistro

• gradeGrade C ⏳
• inspection score73 pts
• critical violations6
• last inspectedJuly 3, 2024
• address144 West 139 Street, Manhattan 10030
• cuisineFrench
• phone2122346474

Is Ponty Bistro clean?

Ponty Bistro is currently Grade C ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on July 3, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 6 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳. There is a newer inspection the city has not ruled on yet, so the posted grade still stands for now.

What did inspectors find at Ponty Bistro?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 3, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚿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.
• 🧼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.
• 🧽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.
• 🪳roaches are dining toocritical
  Live roaches in facility's food or non-food area.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
• 🪰flies in the housecritical
  Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage associated with (FRSA) flies or other nuisance pests in establishment’s food and/or non-food areas. FRSA flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies.
• 🦪shellfish with no paper trailcritical
  Shellfish not from approved source, not or improperly tagged/labeled; tags not retained for 90 days.
• 🌡️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.

When was Ponty Bistro last inspected?

Ponty Bistro has 5 inspections on record going back to June 27, 2023, averaging 41 points.

Ponty Bistro vs Central Harlem North-Polo Grounds

Central Harlem North-Polo Grounds runs 71% clean across 91 tracked restaurants — 60 clean, 5 mid, 19 cooked.

Against the 91 spots Cooked tracks in Central Harlem North-Polo Grounds, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Central Harlem North-Polo Grounds

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  clean · January 13, 2025
• A The Edge
  clean · March 4, 2026
• A Jimbo's Hamburgers
  clean · October 24, 2025
• A Presto Fresh Cafe
  clean · October 14, 2025
• A Harlem Nights
  clean · November 22, 2024
• B King Garden Restaurant
  mid · September 16, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Central Harlem North-Polo Grounds →

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 3, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.