Cooked?
Al's Under The L
- resultPass
- critical violations1
- last inspectedApril 8, 2026
- address2908 W Lake St, Chicago 60612
Is Al's Under The L clean?
Al's Under The L is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 8, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Al's Under The L?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 8, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • 6-301.14: OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT THE HANDWASHING SINKS IN THE REAR DISHWASHING AREA AND FRONT FOOD PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
- ⚠️Approved Thawing Methods Used • 3-501.13: OBSERVED IMPROPER THAWING METHOD OF TCS FOODS. FOUND SAUSAGES IN COTAINER IN THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO USE PROPER THAWING METHODS FOR TCS FOODS SUCH AS PLACING FOODS IN A COLD HOLDING UNIT OVERNIGHT, OR UNDER COLD RUNNING WATER.Approved Thawing Methods Used • 3-501.13: OBSERVED IMPROPER THAWING METHOD OF TCS FOODS. FOUND SAUSAGES IN COTAINER IN THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO USE PROPER THAWING METHODS FOR TCS FOODS SUCH AS PLACING FOODS IN A COLD HOLDING UNIT OVERNIGHT, OR UNDER COLD RUNNING WATER.
- 🪳pests in the houseInsects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • 6-202.15: OBSERVED AN SMALL OPENING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE REAR EXIT DOOR. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL AND MAINTAIN TO PREVENT POTENTIAL ENTRY POINTS FOR PEST.
When was Al's Under The L last inspected?
Al's Under The L has 21 inspections on record going back to September 9, 2011. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 8, 2026 | Pass | |
| March 30, 2026 | Fail | |
| October 24, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 18, 2025 | Pass | |
| November 19, 2024 | Pass | |
| November 14, 2024 | Fail | |
| November 5, 2024 | Fail | |
| April 27, 2022 | Pass | |
| April 20, 2022 | Fail | |
| August 11, 2020 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| March 21, 2019 | Pass | |
| March 14, 2019 | Fail |
Al's Under The L vs East Garfield Park
East Garfield Park runs 66% clean across 510 tracked restaurants — 336 clean, 87 mid, 85 cooked.
Against the 510 spots Cooked tracks in East Garfield Park, this one comes out cleaner than 34% of them.
Other spots in East Garfield Park
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 April 8, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.