ADAMS GRILL
THROUGHOUT TOMPKINS, ITHACA, NY 14850 · Restaurant (Catering Operation)
Inspection summary
ADAMS GRILL has been inspected 11 times by New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) since May 9, 2018. The most recent inspection, on September 4, 2026, found no infractions.
4 of 11 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there was 1 inspection with 0 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Food temperature control, Protecting food from contamination and Handwashing and staff hygiene.
The last 2 inspections in a row found no infractions. Recent inspections have recorded fewer infractions than earlier ones, so the record is improving.
What these findings mean
Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.
Food temperature controlHigher risk
Bacteria multiply fastest between about 4 °C and 60 °C (40 °F to 140 °F). Inspectors check that cold food stays cold, hot food stays hot, cooked food is cooled quickly, and that staff have accurate thermometers. Temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning, so these are treated as critical findings.
Recorded 9 times across 6 separate inspections, most recently on June 15, 2023. For example:
Accurate thermometers not available or used to evaluate refrigerated or heated storage temperatures
Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk
This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on May 6, 2025. For example:
Cooked or prepared foods are subject to cross-contamination from raw foods.
Handwashing and staff hygieneHigher risk
Hands are the main way germs like norovirus move from people to food. Inspectors look for stocked, accessible handwashing sinks, staff washing hands when required, hair restraints, and sick employees being kept away from food. Gaps here can spread illness quickly.
Recorded once on April 28, 2022. For example:
Handwashing facilities inaccessible, improperly located, dirty, in disrepair, improper fixtures, soap, and single service towels or hand drying devices missing
Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk
Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.
Recorded once on September 10, 2019. For example:
Wiping cloths dirty, not stored properly in sanitizing solutions
About this data
These results come from New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.
11 inspections
- Inspection
0 infractions
- Re-Inspection
0 infractions
- Inspection
1 infraction
- 2C: Cooked or prepared foods are subject to cross-contamination from raw foods.
- Critical Violation
- 2C: Cooked or prepared foods are subject to cross-contamination from raw foods.
- Inspection
0 infractions
- Inspection
1 infraction
- 8E: Accurate thermometers not available or used to evaluate refrigerated or heated storage temperatures
- Not Critical Violation
- 8E: Accurate thermometers not available or used to evaluate refrigerated or heated storage temperatures
- Inspection
2 infractions
- 12E: Handwashing facilities inaccessible, improperly located, dirty, in disrepair, improper fixtures, soap, and single service towels or hand drying devices missing
- Not Critical Violation
- 8E: Accurate thermometers not available or used to evaluate refrigerated or heated storage temperatures
- Not Critical Violation
- 12E: Handwashing facilities inaccessible, improperly located, dirty, in disrepair, improper fixtures, soap, and single service towels or hand drying devices missing
- Re-Inspection
1 infraction
- 5A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or below 45�F during cold holding, except smoked fish not kept at or below 38�F during cold holding.
- Critical Violation
- 5A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or below 45�F during cold holding, except smoked fish not kept at or below 38�F during cold holding.
- Re-Inspection
2 infractions
- 5A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or below 45�F during cold holding, except smoked fish not kept at or below 38�F during cold holding.
- Critical Violation
- 6A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or above 140�F during hot holding.
- Critical Violation
- 5A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or below 45�F during cold holding, except smoked fish not kept at or below 38�F during cold holding.
- Inspection
4 infractions
- 11B: Wiping cloths dirty, not stored properly in sanitizing solutions
- Not Critical Violation
- 2E: Accurate thermometers not available or used to evaluate potentially hazardous food temperatures during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
- Critical Violation
- 6A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or above 140�F during hot holding.
- Critical Violation
- 2C: Cooked or prepared foods are subject to cross-contamination from raw foods.
- Critical Violation
- 11B: Wiping cloths dirty, not stored properly in sanitizing solutions
- Re-Inspection
0 infractions
- Inspection
2 infractions
- 5A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or below 45�F during cold holding, except smoked fish not kept at or below 38�F during cold holding.
- Critical Violation
- 6A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or above 140�F during hot holding.
- Critical Violation
- 5A: Potentially hazardous foods are not kept at or below 45�F during cold holding, except smoked fish not kept at or below 38�F during cold holding.