Carbon monoxide at dangerous levels, undercooked poultry and meat, cold food held at unsafe temperatures, no accessible handwashing facility — that's just part of what NYC health inspectors found when they walked into the Industry City location of Ayat on March 25, 2026. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has listed the Sunset Park outpost of the Michelin Guide-featured Palestinian restaurant group as Closed, following an 88-point inspection that spans nine violations and veers well past food safety into life safety territory.
The CO Finding Is the One That Changes the Story
In a stack of serious violations, the carbon monoxide citation stands apart. Inspectors documented that CO levels at the 274 36th Street location exceeded nine parts per million — the threshold above which the NYC Health Code requires action — and cited a harmful noxious gas or vapor violation alongside a separate "nuisance created or allowed to exist" finding that almost certainly flows from the same condition. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and at sufficient concentrations, fatal. Its presence in a restaurant isn't a kitchen hygiene problem; it's an emergency. Diners and staff in the space would have had no way to detect it without instrumentation.
The food violations that accompany the CO finding would be alarming enough on their own. Two were cited as major: TCS food not cooked to required minimum internal temperature — specifically calling out poultry and meats, the higher-risk items where undercooked product most directly threatens eaters — and cold TCS food held above 41°F, which creates conditions for pathogen growth. Rounding out the 88-point total: food contact surfaces not properly washed and sanitized, no accessible handwashing facility, food and equipment not protected from contamination, drainage and sewage issues, and non-food contact surfaces in unacceptable condition. Nine violations across a single inspection visit, according to records in the NYC DOHMH ABCEats database.
For reference: in New York's scoring system, where lower is better, anything above 27 points earns a C — the bottom of the letter-grade range. 88 points is not a close call.
This Is Not the Bay Ridge Flagship
The closed location — permit 50165784, at 274 36th Street inside Industry City — is one of Ayat's expansion sites, not the original. The Bay Ridge flagship at 8504 Third Avenue, which earned the Michelin Guide listing and was the subject of an Eater NY dining report in November 2025, is a separate location with its own inspection record. The Industry City Ayat opened as the brand's second location, operating from a larger footprint with rooftop, indoor, and sidewalk seating for over 90 people, per prior Eater coverage. It has its own loyal following — Uber Eats reviewers regularly call it their favorite of the Ayat locations.
About Ayat
Abdul Elenani founded Ayat at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, naming it after his Palestinian-American wife, Ayat Masoud. What started in a former Bay Ridge tanning salon in 2020 has grown into ten locations across NYC and New Jersey, with national expansion into Dallas, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia underway in 2026, per Middle East Eye. The menu centers Palestinian classics — hummus, muhammara, shawarma, mansaf, and maklouba — and the brand has become one of the more culturally significant restaurant groups in the city. Al Badawi, the couple's Brooklyn Heights sibling restaurant, was named to New York magazine's 43 best restaurants list in 2025, per the Forward.
Hoodline has reached out to Ayat for comment on the closure, the carbon monoxide finding, and the expected reopening timeline for the Industry City location. Current status can be verified at the NYC DOHMH ABCEats database. The location can be reached at (718) 831-2585.
