The Dawson

• gradeGrade A ⏳
• grade postedApril 15, 2025
• inspection score31 pts
• critical violations3
• last inspectedOctober 1, 2026 →
• address23 West 45 Street, Manhattan 10036
• cuisineAmerican
• phone6464963262

Is The Dawson clean?

The Dawson currently carries Grade A ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on April 15, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on October 1, 2026 scoring 31 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 Dawson?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 1, 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.
• 🔪cross-contamination riskcritical
  Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
• 🧊food not cooled down rightcritical
  After cooking or removal from hot holding, TCS food not cooled by an approved method whereby the internal temperature is reduced from 140 °F to 70 °F or less within 2 hours, and from 70 °F to 41 °F or less within 4 additional hours.
• 🌡️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.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.

When was The Dawson last inspected?

The Dawson has 6 inspections on record going back to April 26, 2022, averaging 18 points.

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

The Dawson vs Midtown-Midtown South

Midtown-Midtown South runs 83% clean across 2,375 tracked restaurants — 1,620 clean, 95 mid, 248 cooked.

Against the 2,375 spots Cooked tracks in Midtown-Midtown South, this one comes out cleaner than 23% of them.

Other spots in Midtown-Midtown South

• ? Sweet Tooth
  not rated
• A Handcraft Burgers & Brew
  clean · January 8, 2026
• A Cafe Grumpy
  clean · September 28, 2026
• ⏳ Mccarthy's
  cooked · October 6, 2025
• A The Lunch Box
  clean · July 10, 2025
• B B & D Halal Food
  mid · June 30, 2025

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 October 1, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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Cooked covers 10 cities on official inspection data — see who's clean, mid, or cooked near you.