Sao Mai

• gradeGrade A
• inspection score13 pts
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMay 20, 2025 →
• address203 1 Avenue, Manhattan 10003
• cuisineSoutheast Asian
• phone2123588880

Is Sao Mai clean?

Sao Mai is currently Grade A from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on May 20, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Sao Mai?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 20, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🛠️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.
• 🧻grimy wiping clothscritical
  Wiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses.
• 🧫equipment / surface issue
  Thawing procedure improper.

When was Sao Mai last inspected?

Sao Mai has 4 inspections on record going back to April 11, 2023, averaging 28 points.

Sao Mai vs East Village

East Village runs 75% clean across 742 tracked restaurants — 476 clean, 43 mid, 114 cooked.

Against the 742 spots Cooked tracks in East Village, this one comes out cleaner than 32% of them.

Other spots in East Village

• A The Standard East Village
  clean · June 6, 2025
• A Aziza's Cafe & Lounge
  clean · April 28, 2026
• A Josie's
  clean · September 30, 2025
• A Kingston Hall
  clean · July 1, 2025
• A Elsewhere Espresso
  clean · June 4, 2026
• A La Sultana Cafe
  clean · July 8, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in East Village →

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 20, 2025. 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.