The Muffin Cafe

• gradeGrade pending
• grade postedDecember 5, 2025
• inspection score39 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedMay 8, 2026 →
• address222 Columbus Avenue, Manhattan 10023
• cuisineBakery Products/Desserts
• phone2128751173

Is The Muffin Cafe clean?

New York currently lists The Muffin Cafe as grade pending, following an inspection on May 8, 2026 that scored 39 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 C on December 5, 2025.

What did inspectors find at The Muffin Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 8, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🍲hot food sitting too coolcritical
  Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
• 🧫food contact surfaces dirty
  Design, construction, materials used or maintenance of food contact surface improper. Surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
• 🧻grimy wiping clothscritical
  Wiping cloths not stored clean and dry, or in a sanitizing solution, between uses.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🚿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
  Tobacco or electronic cigarette use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area.
• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.

When was The Muffin Cafe last inspected?

The Muffin Cafe has 5 inspections on record going back to May 29, 2024, averaging 28 points.

The Muffin Cafe vs Lincoln Square

Lincoln Square runs 87% clean across 220 tracked restaurants — 172 clean, 6 mid, 20 cooked.

Against the 220 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Square, this one comes out cleaner than 2% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Square

• A Arte Cafe / El Coco
  clean · September 30, 2025
• A Sugar Bar
  clean · September 3, 2025
• A Jean-Georges
  clean · April 9, 2026
• A Starbucks
  clean · September 16, 2025
• A Triad Theater
  clean · November 21, 2024
• A Polpette 71
  clean · February 25, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Lincoln Square →

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 May 8, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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