Sozai

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedJuly 30, 2024
• inspection score46 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedApril 16, 2026 →
• address19 West 45 Street, Manhattan 10036
• cuisineJapanese
• phone9178532885

Is Sozai clean?

Sozai currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on July 30, 2024 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on April 16, 2026 scoring 46 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 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads clean 😇; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at Sozai?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 16, 2026, 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.
• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 🧽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.
• ⚠️Equipment used for ROP not approved by the Department
• 🚿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.
• 🧤food-handling slipcritical
  HACCP plan not approved or approved HACCP plan not maintained on premises.

When was Sozai last inspected?

Sozai has 2 inspections on record going back to July 30, 2024, averaging 29 points.

Sozai vs Midtown-Midtown South

Midtown-Midtown South runs 83% clean across 2,302 tracked restaurants — 1,604 clean, 93 mid, 234 cooked.

Against the 2,302 spots Cooked tracks in Midtown-Midtown South, this one comes out cleaner than 22% of them.

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• ? Roberta's
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See every restaurant inspection in Midtown-Midtown South →

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 April 16, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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