Vanilla Gorilla Cafe

• gradeGrade pending
• grade postedNovember 25, 2024
• inspection score21 pts
• critical violations2
• last inspectedMarch 31, 2026 →
• address525 8 Avenue, Manhattan 10018
• cuisineCoffee/Tea
• phone6465966697

Is Vanilla Gorilla Cafe clean?

New York currently lists Vanilla Gorilla Cafe as grade pending, following an inspection on March 31, 2026 that scored 21 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 25, 2024.

What did inspectors find at Vanilla Gorilla Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 31, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🍽️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.
• 🪰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.
• 🕳️basically rolling out the welcome mat for pests
  Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
• 🛠️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.

When was Vanilla Gorilla Cafe last inspected?

Vanilla Gorilla Cafe has 5 inspections on record going back to August 29, 2023, averaging 28 points.

Vanilla Gorilla Cafe vs Hudson Yards-Chelsea-Flat Iron-Union Square

Hudson Yards-Chelsea-Flat Iron-Union Square runs 84% clean across 1,120 tracked restaurants — 788 clean, 53 mid, 102 cooked.

Against the 1,120 spots Cooked tracks in Hudson Yards-Chelsea-Flat Iron-Union Square, this one comes out cleaner than 4% of them.

Other spots in Hudson Yards-Chelsea-Flat Iron-Union Square

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• A Cafe Llama (Fl 66)
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• A Greywind
  clean · July 16, 2026
• A Noda
  clean · January 30, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Hudson Yards-Chelsea-Flat Iron-Union 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 March 31, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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