SMOKE & MIRRORS
28-04 STEINWAY STREET, Queens, NY 11103 · Restaurant (American)
Inspection summary
SMOKE & MIRRORS has been inspected 4 times by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) since October 27, 2023. The most recent inspection, on June 6, 2026, recorded 1 infraction.
None of the 4 inspections on record were free of infractions. In the past 12 months there were 3 inspections with 8 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Pests, Handwashing and staff hygiene and Cleaning and sanitizing.
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.
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 4 times on June 6, 2026. For example:
28-06: Contract with a pest management professional not in place. Record of extermination activities not kept on premises.
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 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on June 6, 2026. For example:
20-04: “Choking first aid” poster not posted. “Alcohol and Pregnancy” warning sign not posted. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks (adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted.
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 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on June 6, 2026. For example:
Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
Food source, labelling and allergensHigher risk
Food must come from approved suppliers, stay in labelled containers and be thrown out when it is spoiled or damaged, such as dented or swollen cans. Labelling matters for allergies: an unlabelled container can hide an allergen.
Recorded once on June 6, 2026. For example:
15-22: Original label for smoking products sold or offered for sale.
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 October 27, 2023. For example:
Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
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.
4 inspections
- Administrative Miscellaneous / Initial Inspection
1 infraction
- 20-04: “Choking first aid” poster not posted. “Alcohol and Pregnancy” warning sign not posted. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks (adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted.
- Not Critical
- 20-04: “Choking first aid” poster not posted. “Alcohol and Pregnancy” warning sign not posted. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks (adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted.
- Smoke-Free Air Act / Initial Inspection
1 infraction
- 15-22: Original label for smoking products sold or offered for sale.
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
6 infractions
- 28-06: Contract with a pest management professional not in place. Record of extermination activities not kept on premises.
- Not Critical
- 08A: Establishment is not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects or other pests.
- Not Critical
- 04K: Evidence of rats or live rats in establishment's food or non-food areas.
- Critical
- 06D: Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
- Critical
- 04C: Food worker/food vendor does not use utensil or other barrier to eliminate bare hand contact with food that will not receive adequate additional heat treatment.
- 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
- 28-06: Contract with a pest management professional not in place. Record of extermination activities not kept on premises.
- Cycle Inspection / Initial Inspection
2 infractions
- 06D: Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
- Critical
- 04H: Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
- Critical
- 06D: Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
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