Upper East Side Eateries Are Off To A Dirty Start In 2023: Data

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Is the Upper East Side getting dirtier?

City data shows that its restaurants might be.

According to Department of Health inspections for this year, the Upper East Side has seen the second-highest number of restaurant closures in Manhattan as of Feb. 17., with five closures resulting from 112 inspections.

Citywide, 100 restaurants have been shuttered by the heath department so far this year. Manhattan tops the list with 37 closures so far.

Over the same time period in 2022, only one Upper East Side restaurant was ordered closed by the DOH.

For a pre-pandemic comparison, the city closed just six Upper East Side restaurants during all of 2019.

A breakdown of the data shows that though the Upper East Side hasn't had the most closures on the island — that honor goes to Community Board 3, with nine closures — it does tie for second place.

As restaurants continue to struggle in a volatile and uncertain economic climate — with employment numbers still nearly 11 percent lower than 2019 — some might wonder: has the Upper East Side has been unfairly targeted, besieged with a high number of inspections?

Not according to the data.

Community Board 5, which covers the West Village and Soho, also had five restaurant closures this year but had 61 more inspections than the Upper East Side.

To further suggest that the Upper East Side is going through a dirty phase, Midtown had 308 inspections this year — nearly 200 more than the Upper East Side — yet only four restaurants were ordered closed by the city.

And neighboring neighborhoods, like the Upper West Side and East Midtown, had a similar number of inspections, but saw only two closures across the park, and just three below East 59th Street.

The Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment and questions

The city inspects 25,000 restaurants each year. Most eateries pass inspections, but some fall short of the city's standards, accruing violation points for everything from broken light bulbs to "public health hazards," like vermin and failure to follow food safety protocols.

But this year, the Upper East Side has strangely found itself with a high number of closures, including Yorkville favorite Stella & Fly, which was cited for a number of cleanliness and food safety issues on Feb. 7, including a mouse infestation.

Some are closed because of administrative issues, like 787 Coffee, which was closed back in January for not posting their health department letter grade.

Restaurants hit with non-food-safety violations might get a fine or a lower letter grade, with zero to 13 points warranting an 'A' and violations totaling 28 points or more earning a 'C' (this system is criticized for its efficacy by some gourmands).

Restaurants that are closed by the city are often reopened quickly after addressing issues found by health officials.

Here's the full list of Upper East Side restaurant the city has ordered closed since the start of 2023

• Mitz Mellow Yellow Coffee & Vibes - 1729 First Ave.
• Green Bean Cafe - 1413 York Ave.
• Le Reveil Coffee Shop - 1322 Second Ave.
• Stella And Fly - 1705 First Ave.
• 787 Coffee - 340 East 70th St.