Holy crackling chicken—La Dinastia, a popular Chino-Latino restaurant that has been in the midst of a resurgence as its menu and atmosphere gained viral attention on social media, was shut down by the health department last week. The closure marks another beloved Upper West Side eatery with deep neighborhood roots forced to close due to poor conditions.
Opened in 1986 at 145 West 72nd Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues), La Dinastia scored 50 points in its June 3 health inspection, racking up infractions including:
- Cold TCS food items held above 41°F; smoked or processed fish held above 38°F; intact raw eggs held above 45°F; or reduced oxygen packaged (ROP) TCS foods held above required temperatures, except during active necessary preparation.
- Evidence of mice or live mice in the establishment’s food or non-food areas.
- Live roaches in the facility’s food or non-food areas.
- Food, supplies, or equipment not protected from potential sources of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display, or service—or from customers’ refillable, reusable containers. Condiments not in single-service containers or dispensed directly by the vendor.
- Establishment not free of harborage or conditions conducive to rodents, insects, or other pests.
- Non-food contact surfaces or equipment made of unacceptable material, not kept clean, or not properly sealed, raised, spaced, or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above, and underneath the unit.
Scoring works as follows: tallies between 0 and 13 receive an “A,” scores from 14 to 27 earn a “B,” and scores of 28 or above result in a “C.” La Dinastia was also given 38 points after a June 2023 inspection.
A yellow notice with the word CLOSED in big letters—a sight becoming all too familiar around the Upper West Side—was posted in the doorway. Inside, La Dinastia was dark…