Sahara's Turkish Cuisine

• gradeGrade B ⏳
• grade postedJanuary 2, 2025
• inspection score39 pts
• critical violations5
• last inspectedJune 10, 2026 →
• address513 2 Avenue, Manhattan 10016
• cuisineTurkish
• phone2125327589

Is Sahara's Turkish Cuisine clean?

Sahara's Turkish Cuisine currently carries Grade B ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on January 2, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on June 10, 2026 scoring 39 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 5 critical violations — 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 Sahara's Turkish Cuisine?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 10, 2026, 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.
• 🛠️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.
• 🧊food not cooled down rightcritical
  After cooking or removal from hot holding, TCS food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal temperature is reduced from 140 °F to 70 °F or less within 2 hours, and from 70 °F to 41 °F or less within 4 additional hours.
• 🧼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.
• 🌡️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 not properly sanitizedcritical
  Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.

When was Sahara's Turkish Cuisine last inspected?

Sahara's Turkish Cuisine has 3 inspections on record going back to October 17, 2024, averaging 33 points.

Sahara's Turkish Cuisine vs Murray Hill-Kips Bay

Murray Hill-Kips Bay runs 79% clean across 379 tracked restaurants — 274 clean, 23 mid, 48 cooked.

Against the 379 spots Cooked tracks in Murray Hill-Kips Bay, this one comes out cleaner than 16% of them.

Other spots in Murray Hill-Kips Bay

• A Sachi Asian Bistro I
  clean · February 19, 2026
• A Baker's Recovery
  clean · July 7, 2026
• ⏳ Lucky Lyndon
  cooked · August 26, 2026
• C Deli El Chapincito
  cooked · May 19, 2026
• A Omakase 33
  clean · May 7, 2025
• ⏳ Eons
  cooked · October 28, 2025

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.

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 June 10, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

check your own block 📸

Cooked covers 10 cities on official inspection data — see who's clean, mid, or cooked near you.