The Chai Spot

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedApril 3, 2025
• inspection score71 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedSeptember 10, 2026 →
• address156 Mott Street, Manhattan 10013
• cuisineCoffee/Tea
• phone3236278562

Is The Chai Spot clean?

The Chai Spot currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on April 3, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on September 10, 2026 scoring 71 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 The Chai Spot?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 10, 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.
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  No hand washing facility in or adjacent to toilet room or within 25 feet of a food preparation, food service or ware washing area. Hand washing facility not accessible, obstructed or used for non-hand washing purposes. No hot and cold running water or water at inadequate pressure. No soap or acceptable hand-drying device.
• 🗑️garbage situation out of pocket
  Pesticide not properly labeled or used by unlicensed individual. Pesticide, other toxic chemical improperly used/stored. Unprotected, unlocked bait station used.
• 🌡️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.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🪰flies in the housecritical
  Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage associated with (FRSA) flies or other nuisance pests in establishment’s food and/or non-food areas. FRSA flies include house flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies.

When was The Chai Spot last inspected?

The Chai Spot has 5 inspections on record going back to August 12, 2022, averaging 34 points.

Graded visits shown below · newest first · tap a date for the record

The Chai Spot vs SoHo-TriBeCa-Civic Center-Little Italy

SoHo-TriBeCa-Civic Center-Little Italy runs 82% clean across 862 tracked restaurants — 603 clean, 40 mid, 95 cooked.

Against the 862 spots Cooked tracks in SoHo-TriBeCa-Civic Center-Little Italy, this one comes out cleaner than 43% of them.

Other spots in SoHo-TriBeCa-Civic Center-Little Italy

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See every restaurant inspection in SoHo-TriBeCa-Civic Center-Little Italy →

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

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