Wakamba

• gradeGrade B ⏳
• grade postedFebruary 11, 2025
• inspection score36 pts
• critical violations4
• last inspectedAugust 17, 2026 →
• address543 8 Avenue, Manhattan 10018
• cuisineAmerican
• phone2125642042

Is Wakamba clean?

Wakamba currently carries Grade B ⏳ from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). It was posted on February 11, 2025 and still stands. The place has been inspected again since — on August 17, 2026 scoring 36 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 4 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder the posted grade reads mid 😬; the numbers above come from the newer visit.

What did inspectors find at Wakamba?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 17, 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.
• 🧽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.
• 🐭they've got roommates (mice)critical
  Evidence of mice or live mice in establishment's food or non-food areas.
• 🛠️facility / equipment issue
  Dishwashing and ware washing: Cleaning and sanitizing of tableware, including dishes, utensils, and equipment deficient.
• 🐀rats have moved incritical
  Evidence of rats or live rats 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.
• 📋no certified food supervisor on dutycritical
  Food Protection Certificate (FPC) not held by manager or supervisor of food operations.

When was Wakamba last inspected?

Wakamba has 5 inspections on record going back to April 30, 2024, averaging 25 points.

Wakamba 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 16% of them.

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

• A N.Y. Life Executive Dining Room .
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• A New Yorker Hotel Kitchen
  clean · February 5, 2026
• A Bottino
  clean · July 2, 2025
• A Cafeteria
  clean · April 10, 2026
• A Spirit Of New Jersey
  clean · May 22, 2019
• A Westside Tavern
  clean · March 19, 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 August 17, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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