11 Hudson Valley Restaurants With Critical Health Code Violations

Over the past few months, 11 Hudson Valley restaurants received three or more critical health violations.

Unsanitary kitchens, improper cooking practices and faulty equipment can all lead to a dangerous situation for restaurant patrons. The New York State Department of Health takes food contamination and the possibility of foodborne illness seriously. Because the public has a right to know how safe the food is that they're feeding their families, inspectors are sent on routine visits to restaurants, ensuring they're not putting customers in danger.

Detailed records of these surprise inspections are made public so customers can be informed about what's going on in the kitchen of their favorite dining establishment. While some restaurant owners don't appreciate this information being made public, most people agree that customers have the right to know if the establishment they're visiting has been following health protocols and is running a safe and clean kitchen.

It's important to note that all of the restaurants below have received at least three critical violations during their last inspection in late 2022 or early 2023. In all cases except for one, the critical violations were addressed and corrected after the inspection. Being listed below doesn't mean that these restaurants are currently violating health codes, it just means they were at the time of their most recent inspection.

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While any restaurant can receive violations for minor infractions like failing to post handwashing signs in the restroom, more severe issues that could make customers sick are listed separately as "critical violations." These severe violations can affect the safety of food at put customers at risk of getting sick. That's why we are listing the restaurants that have received three or more critical violations during their last inspection.

A more detailed look at all of these restaurants, as well as every other Hudson Valley eating establishment, can be found on the New York State health database.

Del's Deli on Route 9W in Newburgh

Recently inspected on January 10, 2023, Del's Deli received 12 violations, six being classified as critical. Infractions include food being stored at improper temperatures, mishandled toxic chemicals that could contaminate food, the presence of rodents or insects and food items not being properly refrigerated.

Coppola's Restaurant on Route 9 in Hyde Park

During an inspection on December 30, 2022, Coppola's received six critical violations. Among the more serious infractions were the possibility of cross-contamination with raw food, spoiled or improperly sourced ingredients, lack of refrigeration and hot foods not being maintained at a high enough temperature.

River Station Restaurant in Poughkeepsie

River Station was also on our list in July when an April inspection uncovered 17 violations, five of which were critical. On November 30 the restaurant was visited again and received 18 new violations. Inspectors found water and ice from improper sources, food not properly stored and open to contamination, improper refrigeration of ingredients, warm foods not being kept hot enough to stop spoilage and other issues with food prep and storage.

John's of Arthur Avenue on West Main Street in Middletown

The pizza restaurant in Middletown was visited by inspectors on January 3 of 2023. Johns of Arthur Avenue received four critical violations and four non-critical violations. The restaurant was cited for bare-hand contact with food, improper food temperatures and mislabeled toxic chemicals that could contaminate food. The Department of Health notes that one of the critical violations was not remedied by the restaurant as of January 17, 2023. The report doesn't specify which violation it was.

Santa Fe in Tivoli

The Mexican restaurant in Tivoli received 11 violations, four of which were critical violations, on December 9 of 2022. Improper storage and cleaning of utensils, practices that could lead to cross-contamination from raw foods, improperly stored food items, single-service items reused and inadequate personal cleanliness.

BJ's Restaurant in Beacon

On November 1, 2022 inspectors visited the soul food restaurant on Main Street and found just three violations, but all of them were serious enough to be listed as critical violations. Infractions include not keeping hot food above 140 degrees, improperly labeled chemicals that could lead to contamination and improper refrigeration of foods.

Milanese Restaurant

The legendary Italian restaurant in the City of Poughkeepsie is not new to our semi-annual list. Milanese first appeared on the critical violation list in 2014 and again in April of 2022 with 12 violations. During their most recent inspection in September of 2022, the restaurant had 16 violations, three of them listed as critical. Among them were "food from unapproved source, spoiled, adulterated on premises," possible cross-contamination from raw food, insects and rodents present, dirty wiping cloths and other food storage infractions.

Golden Jade on Route 82 in Hopewell Junction

In March, Golden Jade made our list with 13 violations. During a more recent inspection on September 20 of 2022, the restaurant just received three violations, although all of them were listed as critical. All of the violations related to food being held at improper temperatures.

Sal's Pizza on Wolcott Avenue in Beacon

The Beacon pizzeria received six violations in October, half of them listed as critical. Accurate thermometers were not available to check food temperatures and ingredients weren't properly refrigerated.

Pasquale's Pizza in New Paltz

The pizzeria on Main Street was hit with twelve violations on January 5 of 2023. The restaurant had three critical violations for spoiled food, bare-hand contact and inadequate reheating practices.

Cosimo's Trattoria in Poughkeepsie

The Italian restaurant on Delafield Street in Poughkeepsie had three critical violations during an inspection on December 30 of 2022. Lack of enough refrigeration, food not cooled safely and other food storage issues.