There’s no end in sight to a stomach-turning trend. Another popular Upper East Side restaurant has been shut down by the Health Department after its first inspection in more than two years– since before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City.
A bright yellow closure order now hangs on the front door of Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill, located at 1611 Second Avenue, between East 83rd and 84th Streets.
“Closed by order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene,” reads the August 9th notice stuck to the glass— which was partially obscured from view Thursday morning by chairs stacked up in front of the restaurant’s entrance.
The well-reviewed classic Thai restaurant was forced to close on Tuesday after receiving a whopping 99 violation points spread across a dozen different violations, according to inspection data published this week.
Filth flies and live roaches were found by the Health Department inspector, who also noted that the facility is not vermin proof and could be attracting rodents or other pests.
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Four different violations also cited contamination concerns or cross-contamination between raw and prepared foods, unsanitzied kitchen surfaces and utensils— and food that was supposed to be refrigerated was kept dangerously warm, according to the Health Department.
Inside the eatery on Thursday, it appeared the restaurant was in the process of some sort of cleaning.
Open since 2018, Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill has an inviting storefront wrapped in an elaborate floral display. Though it boasts 4.5 stars on Yelp!, a handful of recent reviews from this month paint a different picture of the dining experience.
“Garbage was all over the floor next to us, tissues, napkins, plastic water bottles, containers and lids on the floor. Kitchen staff screaming, angrily, wrote one reviewer three days before the restaurant’s closure.
Two other customers reported finding broken egg shells in their fried rice and spoiled cucumber in their sushi rolls.
Prior to the August 9th inspection, the Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill had not been inspected in more than two years, since February 12, 2020— a common theme among restaurants recently closed by the Health Department.
Upper East Site reached out to Bua Thai Ramen & Robata Grill for comment on the shut down, but did not hear back.
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