Cooked?
Saravana Bhavan
- gradeGrade B
- inspection score26 pts
- critical violations3
- last inspectedMay 15, 2025
- address81 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan 10016
- cuisineIndian
- phone2126790204
Is Saravana Bhavan clean?
Saravana Bhavan is currently Grade B from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on May 15, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Saravana Bhavan?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 15, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🌡️fridge is giving… room tempcriticalCold 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.
- 🧻grimy wiping clothscriticalWiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses.
- 🛠️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.
- 🍲hot food sitting too coolcriticalHot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
When was Saravana Bhavan last inspected?
Saravana Bhavan has 7 inspections on record going back to September 21, 2023, averaging 28 points.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 10, 2026 | — | |
| May 15, 2025 | Grade B | 26 pts |
| March 5, 2025 | no grade issued ⏳ | 40 pts |
| September 29, 2023 | Grade C | 2 pts |
| September 27, 2023 | closed by the city | 15 pts |
| September 26, 2023 | closed by the city | 22 pts |
| September 21, 2023 | closed by the city | 65 pts |
Saravana Bhavan vs Gramercy
Gramercy runs 81% clean across 263 tracked restaurants — 189 clean, 12 mid, 33 cooked.
Against the 263 spots Cooked tracks in Gramercy, this one comes out cleaner than 15% of them.
Other spots in Gramercy
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 15, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.