The Crooked Knife

• gradeGrade C
• inspection score33 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedFebruary 2, 2026 →
• address540 2 Avenue, Manhattan 10016
• cuisineAmerican
• phone2126964104

Is The Crooked Knife clean?

The Crooked Knife is currently Grade C from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), from an inspection on February 2, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at The Crooked Knife?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 2, 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.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🔪cross-contamination riskcritical
  Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
• 🍽️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.
• ⚠️Current letter grade or Grade Pending card not posted
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
• 🛠️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.
• 🪰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 Crooked Knife last inspected?

The Crooked Knife has 4 inspections on record going back to June 20, 2023, averaging 25 points.

The Crooked Knife 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 4% of them.

Other spots in Murray Hill-Kips Bay

• A Nonna Dora's
  clean · December 4, 2024
• A Amy's Bread
  clean · September 3, 2025
• A Dig Inn
  clean · February 10, 2026
• A Dunkin
  clean · January 21, 2026
• A Hong Kong Sariku Sushi
  clean · October 2, 2025
• A Charlotte Cafe
  clean · April 21, 2026

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 February 2, 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.