ELI'S CAFE
23-61 31 STREET, Queens, NY 11105 · Restaurant (Coffee/Tea)
Inspection summary
ELI'S CAFE has been inspected 2 times by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) since April 18, 2024. The most recent inspection, on July 11, 2025, recorded 2 infractions.
None of the 2 inspections on record were free of infractions. No inspections are on record from the past 12 months. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Handwashing and staff hygiene, Food temperature control and Protecting food from contamination.
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 once on July 11, 2025. For example:
Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
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 once on July 11, 2025. For example:
Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
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 once on April 18, 2024. For example:
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.
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.
2 inspections
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 06A: Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
- Critical
- 02B: Hot TCS food item not held at or above 140 °F.
- Critical
- 06A: Personal cleanliness is inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn where required. Jewelry worn on hands or arms. Fingernail polish worn or fingernails not kept clean and trimmed.
- Pre-permit (Non-operational) / Initial Inspection
1 infraction
- 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
- 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.
Nearby inspected facilities
- UNDER PRESSURE
23-38 31 STREET, Queens, NY 11105
3 inspections
- ELIAS CORNER FOR FISH
24-02 31 STREET, Queens, NY 11102
3 inspections
- BOHEMIAN HALL & BEER GARDEN
29-19 24 AVENUE, Queens, NY 11102
3 inspections
- DIONYSOS
23-15 31 STREET, Queens, NY 11105
3 inspections
- BALKH SHISH KABAB HOUSE
23-10 31 STREET, Queens, NY 11105
4 inspections
- FIGLIA
23-02 31 STREET, Queens, NY 11105
2 inspections
- CAKES BY NERWAN
23-02 31 STREET, Queens, NY 11105
3 inspections
- MACOLETTA
28-15 24 AVENUE, Queens, NY 11102
5 inspections