Almost Home Tavern & Grill

• resultFail
• critical violations5
• last inspectedOctober 30, 2025
• address3801-3809 N Clark St, Chicago 60613

Is Almost Home Tavern & Grill clean?

Almost Home Tavern & Grill is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on October 30, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 5 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Almost Home Tavern & Grill?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 30, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋no certified food manager on dutycritical
  Person In Charge Present, Demonstrates Knowledge, And Performs Duties • PERSON IN CHARGE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • PERSON IN CHARGE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFIECATE WHILE FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED SUCH AS HAMBURGERS, CHICKEN WINGS SOUPS ETC. INSTRUCTED TO OPERATE WITH A CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD SERVICE MANAGER AND PROVIDE A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATE AT ALL TIMES FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • OBSERVED NO WRITTEN EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON PREMISES. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SIGNED EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • OBSERVED NO CLEAN UP PROCEDURE OR SUPPLIES ON PREMISES TO RESPOND TO VOMIT AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HAND WASHING SIGNS OR POSTERS NEAR HAND WASHING SINKS IN FRONT BAR AREA. MUST PROVIDE HAND WASHING SIGNS AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • OBSERVED EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF BLACK SLIMY SUBSTANCE IN THE INTERIOR CONTACT SURFACES OF ICE MACHINE DRIPPING DOWN INTO ICE. ICE IS USED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT TO TURN OFF ICE MACHINE REMOVE ICE AND HAVE INTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE CLEAN AND SANITIZE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • VISIBLE AND WORKING THERMOMETER NEEDED IN PREP COOLERS IN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • MUST LABEL FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WHEN FOOD IS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OUTER OPENINGS NOT PROTECTED. OBSERVED REAR EXIT SIDE DOOR WITH 1/2 INCH OPENING ON BOTTOM DOOR. MUST MAKE DOOR RODENT PROOF TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED HEAVY ACCUMULATION OF DUST AND DIRT BUILD UP ON WALLS AND CEILINGS ABOVE PREP TABLES AND COOLERS. ALSO OBSERVED DUST BUILD UP INSIDE LIGHT SHIELDS COVERS ABOVE FOOD STORAGE SHELVING AND PREP COOLERS. MUST CLEAN DUST AND DIRT AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED DIRT AND FOOD DEBRIS ON FLOOR UNDER AROUND AND BEHIND COOKING EQUIPMENT AND REFRIGERATION UNITS IN THE KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA. ALSO OBSERVED ACCUMULATED FOOD DEBRIS ON FLOOR THROUGHOUT BASEMENT FOOD STORAGE AREA. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED OPENINGS INTO FLOOR WALLS AND CEILING ON BASEMENT BY ICE MACHINE AND REAR DRY STORAGE AREA. MUST SEAL AND MAINTAIN. MUST BE SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACES. • OBSERVED EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF CLUTTER THROUGHOUT BASEMENT. MUST REMOVE CLUTTER CLEAN AND ORGANIZE AREA TO PREVENT RODENT HARBORAGE. MUST ELEVATE ALL ITEMS 6 INCHES OF THE FLOOR.

When was Almost Home Tavern & Grill last inspected?

Almost Home Tavern & Grill has 8 inspections on record going back to November 10, 2022.

Almost Home Tavern & Grill vs Lake View

Lake View runs 68% clean across 2,211 tracked restaurants — 1,492 clean, 440 mid, 272 cooked.

Against the 2,211 spots Cooked tracks in Lake View, this one comes out cleaner than 11% of them.

Other spots in Lake View

• ✓ Almost Home Tavern & Grill
  clean · November 17, 2022
• ✓ Almost Home Tavern & Grill
  clean · November 17, 2022
• ✓ Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas
  clean · June 10, 2025
• ✓ Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas
  clean · December 28, 2022
• ✓ Dong Ne
  clean · August 5, 2024
• ✓ Chicago Cubs - Pink Poodle Dining Area
  clean · April 7, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Lake View →

How Chicago grades restaurants

Chicago does not use letter grades. Every inspection ends in one of three official results: Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail. Pass with Conditions means violations were found but corrected on the spot or under a deadline — the restaurant is open, with homework. A Fail means serious violations went uncorrected, and it usually brings a re-inspection within days. Chicago also flags “priority” violations, the ones most likely to actually make someone sick. Cooked reads Pass as clean, Pass with Conditions as mid, and Fail as cooked, and shows the itemized violations behind each result.

Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated October 30, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.