Al's Beef

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJanuary 28, 2019
• address234 S Wabash Ave, Chicago 60604

Is Al's Beef clean?

Al's Beef is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 28, 2019. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Al's Beef?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 28, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • 2-102.14 N OBSERVED NO EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON SITE. MUST PROVIDE PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010 NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • 2-501.11 OBSERVED NO VOMITOUS AND DIARRHEA INCIDENT CLEAN UP POLICY IN PLACE AND KIT ON SITE. MUST PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-005. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED FACILITY HAND SINK NOT ACCESSIBLE;ITEMS STORED INSIDE(BUCKETS AND SCRUBBER) ALL AT HAND SINK IN REAR PREP AREA. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE HAND SINK MUST REMAIN ACCESSIBLE AT ALL TIME AND USE FOR HAND WASHING ONLY. FOOD HANDLER REMOVED ITEMS FROM HAND SINK AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED FOOD NOT MEETING TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS, 4 POUND CONTAINER OF SLICE TOMATO CHILI AT 56.7 DEGREES F AND 4 POUND CONTAINER OF SLICE ONION AT 54.6 DEGREES F AND CHEESE ALL INSIDE FRONT 1 DOOR PREP REACH IN COOLER;PREP REACH IN COOLER AT 53.7 DEGREES F. COLD HOLDING MUST REMAIN AT 41 DEGREES F OR BELOW REQUIRED TEMPERATURE. PERSON IN CHARGE VOLUNTARY DISCARDED FOOD ITEMS NOT MEETING REQUIREMENTS. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE OF REQUIREMENTS. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED. APPROX 8 POUNDS $40.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED EQUIPMENT NOT MEETING STANDARD REQUIREMENTS, FRONT PREP REACH IN COOLER AT 53.7 DEGREES F WITH FOOD STORED INSIDE. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE OF COLD HOLDING EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS. TAGGED UNIT. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • 4-203.112(B) OBSERVED FACILITY MISSING THERMOMETERS FOR REACH IN COOLER AND WALK IN COOLERS FOR FACILITY OR IN DISREPAIR. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE TO OBTAIN AND MAINTAIN THERMOMETERS FOR UNITS.
• ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS SERVING AND PREPPING FOOD WITHOUT REQUIRED HAIR RESTRAINTS. MUST OBTAIN AND MAINTAIN WHEN HANDLING FOOD.
  Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS SERVING AND PREPPING FOOD WITHOUT REQUIRED HAIR RESTRAINTS. MUST OBTAIN AND MAINTAIN WHEN HANDLING FOOD.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED ACCUMULATION OF FOOD DEBRIS UNDER EQUIPMENT AND IN REAR NEAR BAG AND BOX AREA. MUST DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED OUTSIDE AND INSIDE OF EQUIPMENT IN FOOD PREP KITCHEN WITH ACCUMULATION OF FOOD DEBRIS REACH IN COOLERS AND UNDER EQUIPMENT. MUST DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED WATER HEATER LEAKING ON FLOOR IN REAR OF FACILITY NEAR UTILITY SINK. MUST REPAIR AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED EXCESS WATER COLLECTION/ WATER POOLING ON FLOOR IN REAR NEAR WATER HEATER, MOP SINK AND BAG IN BOX. MUST CLEAN OR REPAIR FLOOR FOR OR LEAK
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED FACILITY MISSING REQUIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATION FOR ALL FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES. FACILITY MUST OBTAIN AND MAINTAIN ALL REQUIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATION FOR ALL FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES ON SITE FOR INSPECTION REVIEW.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED FACILITY MISSING REQUIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATION FOR ALL FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES. FACILITY MUST OBTAIN AND MAINTAIN ALL REQUIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATION FOR ALL FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES ON SITE FOR INSPECTION REVIEW.

When was Al's Beef last inspected?

Al's Beef has 13 inspections on record going back to April 1, 2014. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Al's Beef vs Loop

Loop runs 70% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 2,521 clean, 764 mid, 300 cooked.

Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 9% of them.

Other spots in Loop

• ✓ Rustle & Roux
  clean · May 20, 2014
• ✓ Rustle & Roux
  clean · December 10, 2025
• ✓ Khyber Pass
  clean · March 7, 2014
• ✓ Lamonts Gift Shop
  clean · March 20, 2014
• ✓ Mrs Fields
  clean · February 3, 2021
• ✓ Lobby Shop
  clean · April 2, 2014

See every restaurant inspection in Loop →

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 January 28, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.