The Hard Swallow

• gradeGrade pending
• grade postedNovember 3, 2022
• inspection score58 pts
• critical violations5
• last inspectedSeptember 17, 2026 →
• address140 1 Avenue, Manhattan 10009
• cuisineAmerican
• phone6462040787

Is The Hard Swallow clean?

New York currently lists The Hard Swallow as grade pending, following an inspection on September 17, 2026 that scored 58 points. The city has not posted a letter yet, and it will not until a re-inspection settles it. The last grade it ever posted here was A on November 3, 2022.

What did inspectors find at The Hard Swallow?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 17, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰facility hygiene issuecritical
  Sewage disposal system is not provided, improper, inadequate or unapproved.
• 🪰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.
• 🔪cross-contamination riskcritical
  Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
• 🛠️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.
• 🚿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.
• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🧽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.

When was The Hard Swallow last inspected?

The Hard Swallow has 4 inspections on record going back to September 15, 2022, averaging 25 points.

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

The Hard Swallow vs East Village

East Village runs 76% clean across 754 tracked restaurants — 487 clean, 48 mid, 109 cooked.

Against the 754 spots Cooked tracks in East Village, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in East Village

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• A Hi-Note
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• A La Pizza Italia
  clean · October 13, 2026
• A Aura
  clean · February 10, 2026
• A Jo's Taco
  clean · October 6, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in East Village →

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 17, 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.