Astoria Restaurant Shut Down By City Over Mice, Sanitary Issues

ASTORIA, QUEENS — An Astoria Chinese restaurant was temporarily shuttered by the city this week after health inspectors found signs of mice, improper cleaning practices and other sanitary problems, according to the Department of Health.

Hong Kong, a small, takeout-focused restaurant on Broadway near Crescent Street, was ordered closed following its inspection last Thursday, where the city issued violations for 10 different sanitary issues.

Besides "evidence of mice or live mice" in the restaurant, inspectors also found hot food items being kept at dangerously cold temperatures, a lack of hand-washing facilities near the restroom and kitchen, and an employee's "outer garment soiled with possible contaminant," records show.

These "critical" violations prompted the restaurant's immediate closure, a move that the health department makes at least several times per week with eateries that can't fix "public health hazards" at the time of inspection.

Restaurants that resolve violations are permitted to reopen. Indeed, a followup inspection the next day, Feb. 18, uncovered no violations, according to the city.

Here is the full list of violations issued to Hong Kong on Feb. 17:

1. Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
2. Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
3. Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.
4. Hot food item not held at or above 140º F.
5. Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
6. Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
7. Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
8. Single service item reused, improperly stored, dispensed; not used when required.
9. Canned food product observed dented and not segregated from other consumable food items.
10. Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

Hong Kong's history with health inspections was uneventful until this week: a previous inspection in 2019 uncovered just two violations, for unprotected food and failure to maintain a "food contact surface."

Kayla Levy contributed reporting.