BENTON
156 EAST 45 STREET, Manhattan, NY 10017 · Restaurant (Japanese)
Inspection summary
BENTON has been inspected 16 times by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) since May 11, 2024. The most recent inspection, on July 20, 2026, recorded 1 infraction.
12 of 16 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there were 4 inspections with 6 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Handwashing and staff hygiene, Protecting food from contamination and Food temperature control.
The number of infractions per inspection has stayed roughly the same over time.
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.
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 3 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on July 20, 2026. For example:
No hand washing facility in or adjacent to toilet room or within 25 feet of a food preparation, food service or ware washing area. Hand washing facility not accessible, obstructed or used for non-hand washing purposes. No hot and cold running water or water at inadequate pressure. No soap or acceptable hand-drying device.
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 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on July 20, 2026. For example:
Food preparation area, food storage area, or other area used by employees or patrons, contaminated by sewage or liquid waste.
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 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on July 20, 2026. For example:
Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
PestsHigher risk
Signs of mice, rats, cockroaches or flies, or gaps and clutter that let them get in or hide. Pests carry bacteria and can contaminate food and surfaces, so evidence of activity is treated seriously and usually triggers a follow-up visit.
Recorded 2 times on July 30, 2024. For example:
Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
Permits, records and postingLower risk
Operating permits, required signage, written procedures and logs. These findings are administrative: the documentation was missing or out of date at the time of inspection.
Recorded once on July 20, 2026. For example:
20-06: Current letter grade or Grade Pending card not posted
About this data
These results come from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), 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.
16 inspections
- Administrative Miscellaneous / Initial Inspection
1 infraction
- 20-06: Current letter grade or Grade Pending card not posted
- Not Critical
- 20-06: Current letter grade or Grade Pending card not posted
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
5 infractions
- 02B: Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
- Critical
- 05D: No hand washing facility in or adjacent to toilet room or within 25 feet of a food preparation, food service or ware washing area. Hand washing facility not accessible, obstructed or used for non-hand washing purposes. No hot and cold running water or water at inadequate pressure. No soap or acceptable hand-drying device.
- Critical
- 04F: Food preparation area, food storage area, or other area used by employees or patrons, contaminated by sewage or liquid waste.
- Critical
- 10F: 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.
- Not Critical
- 05A: Sewage disposal system is not provided, improper, inadequate or unapproved.
- Critical
- 02B: Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Cycle Inspection / Re-inspection
3 infractions
- 06C: 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.
- Critical
- 05D: No hand washing facility in or adjacent to toilet room or within 25 feet of a food preparation, food service or ware washing area. Hand washing facility not accessible, obstructed or used for non-hand washing purposes. No hot and cold running water or water at inadequate pressure. No soap or acceptable hand-drying device.
- Critical
- 09E: Wash hands sign not posted near or above hand washing sink.
- Not Critical
- 06C: 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.
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
4 infractions
- 08A: Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
- Not Critical
- 02B: Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
- Critical
- 05H: No approved written standard operating procedure for avoiding contamination by refillable returnable containers.
- Critical
- 04N: 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.
- Critical
- 08A: Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
- Inter-Agency Task Force / Initial Inspection
0 infractions
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