The popular Upper East Side sushi take-out spot known as Sushi Para, has rebranded itself Sunny Sushi & Poke, in an apparent attempt to distance itself from the negative attention surrounding the restaurant’s decision to continue serving customers after repeatedly being ordered to close by the Health Department over unsanitary conditions.
Sushi Para was reinspected and reopened earlier this month following its third shut down by Health Department, which came after Upper East Site tipped off inspectors that the eatery was back in business despite the closure orders, using a forged inspection letter grade to mislead customers.
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Following the reopening, eagled-eyed Upper East Site readers spotted that Sushi Para changed the signage outside its storefront at 1457 Third Avenue, between East 82nd and 83rd Streets, last week.
However, nothing else appears to have changed at the sanitarily-challenged restaurant, including the brown window coverings obscuring the interior of the take-out spot, which now appears to be using the main dining area as space for an office, rather than seating for guests.
Even stacks of Sushi Para menus still sit on a table by the front door near where an employee typically coordinates pickup of delivery orders.
The restaurant has also already changed its name on the delivery apps Grubhub, Uber Eats and Door Dash — eliminating a name that may leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Sushi Para was originally ordered closed during a March 13th inspection by the Health Department which revealed 10 sanitary violations, most of them critical, accounting for a total of 58 violation points.
Rodents, live roaches and filth flies were all noted to be found inside the restaurant, as well as foods kept at dangerous temperatures and a lack of protection from potential sources of cross-contamination.
The restaurant was ordered closed by the Health Department a second time, on March 20th, after being contacted by Upper East Site, which had documented that Sushi Para was back open and filling orders.
Two weeks later, on April 3rd, a reader reached out with a tip that Sushi Para was once again back in business, the bright yellow closure notice once again missing from its front door.
What we found at the restaurant was a large ‘C’ letter grade — the kind issued by the Health Department after an inspection — posted in the window. However, the more than three-year-old form, from February 2020, had been forged with permanent marker in an attempt to make it appear that the date was from 2023.
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Upper East Site contacted officials once again and Sushi Para was ordered closed for a third time.
The Health Department tells us that Sushi Para was reinspected and authorized to reopen back on April 6, 2023. However, the inspector noted finding live roaches in the restaurant, as well as evidence of rats.
As for the new name, a DOHMH spokesperson explained that, “When a restaurant changes [its] Doing Business As (DBA), they need to provide [The Department of Consumer & Worker Protection] with information to amend their license. Changing the DBA does not affect their ability to operate.”
When contacted to confirm whether the license was amended, DWCP referred us back to the Health Department, which would only say that “Sushi Para is authorized to operate.”
Reached by phone on Friday, a representative for Sushi Para and Sunny Sushi & Poke told Upper East Site they changed the name, but everything else remains the same.
