Cooked?
Red & Black Cafe
- gradeGrade A
- inspection score4 pts
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMay 22, 2026
- address21-23 21 Avenue, Queens 11105
- cuisineCoffee/Tea
- phone7185780351
Is Red & Black Cafe clean?
Red & Black Cafe is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on May 22, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Red & Black Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 22, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Contract with a pest management professional not in place. Record of extermination activities not kept on premises.Contract with a pest management professional not in place. Record of extermination activities not kept on premises.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeNon-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 Red & Black Cafe last inspected?
Red & Black Cafe has 3 inspections on record going back to August 16, 2023, averaging 8 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2026 | Grade A | 4 pts |
| February 11, 2025 | Grade A | 12 pts |
| August 16, 2023 | Grade A | 7 pts |
Red & Black Cafe vs Steinway
Steinway runs 82% clean across 184 tracked restaurants — 135 clean, 16 mid, 14 cooked.
Against the 184 spots Cooked tracks in Steinway, this one comes out cleaner than 94% of them.
Other spots in Steinway
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 22, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.