Baba's Famous Steak And Lemonade

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMarch 26, 2026
• address7859 S State St, Chicago 60619

Is Baba's Famous Steak And Lemonade clean?

Baba's Famous Steak And Lemonade is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on March 26, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Baba's Famous Steak And Lemonade?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 26, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧼hand hygiene slippingcritical
  Proper Eating, Tasting, Drinking, Or Tobacco Use • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS' TRAY OF FOOD ON PREP/TO GO TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE DESIGNATED AREA AWAY FROM PREP/PACKAGING AREA FOR EATING AND DRINKING.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED IMPROPER INTERNAL TEMPERATURES OF THE FOLLOWING TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD ITEMS INSIDE THE SMALL REFRIGERATOR AT COOKSLINE: CATFISH FILLETS 48.9 F, CATFISH NUGGETS 45.9 F, POLISH 45.1 F, HOTDOGS 44.1 F, FETA CHEESE 44.1 F, MANAGER DISCARDED AND DENATURED APPROX. 15 LBS OF PRODUCTS WORTH $150.00 PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED IMPROPER COLD-HOLD TEMPERATURE OF EQUIPMENT. AMBIENT AIT RECORDED AT 50 F. INFORMED PIC ALL REFRIGERATOR UNITS SHALL MAINTAIN A PROPER TEMPERATURE OF 41F AND BELOW. PERSON IN CHARGE CUT CORD OF REFRIGERATOR TO DISCARD. PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED YELLOW WIPING CLOTHS ON VARIOUS PREP TABLES/CUTTING BOARDS AND SURFACES AT COOKS LINE. INSTRUCTED TO STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN PROPER SANITIZING BUCKETS WITH APPROPRIATE SANITIZING SOLUTION IN BETWEEN USE TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF SURFACES.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • NOTED CUTTING BOARDS WITH DEEP STAINS AND CUTS. INSTRUCTED TO RESTORE TO SMOOTH AND EASY TO CLEAN SURFACE BY SANDING AND RESEALING OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • NOTED LARGE HOLE IN WALL IN WOMENS WASHROOM IN HANDICAP STALL. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR • OBSERVED CLUTTER IN WOMENS HANDICAP WASHROOM STALL AND IN SOUTHEAST STORAGE ROOM. NOTED LARGE UNUSED ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ALL UNUSED, UNNECESSARY ITEMS FROM FACILITY. ALL KEPT ITEMS ARE TO BE STORED ON PROPER SHELVING THAT IS A MINIMUM OF 6 INCHES OFF THE FLOOR TO ENSURE PROPER CLEANING OF FLOORS AND PREVENT PEST HARBORAGE.
• ⚠️Compliance With Clean Indoor Air Ordinance • OBSERVED EVIDENCE OF SMOKING INSIDE FACILITY. NOTED "SOUR CREAM" CONTAINER IN MENS WASHROOM WITH CIGARETTE BUTT AND ASHES. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE TO DISCONTINUE SMOKING INSIDE FACILITY DUE TO DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE CLEAN INDOOR AIR ORDINANCE. CITATION ISSUED 7-32-020 (C)
  Compliance With Clean Indoor Air Ordinance • OBSERVED EVIDENCE OF SMOKING INSIDE FACILITY. NOTED "SOUR CREAM" CONTAINER IN MENS WASHROOM WITH CIGARETTE BUTT AND ASHES. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE TO DISCONTINUE SMOKING INSIDE FACILITY DUE TO DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE CLEAN INDOOR AIR ORDINANCE. CITATION ISSUED 7-32-020 (C)

When was Baba's Famous Steak And Lemonade last inspected?

Baba's Famous Steak And Lemonade has 16 inspections on record going back to February 1, 2018. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Baba's Famous Steak And Lemonade vs Chatham

Chatham runs 62% clean across 443 tracked restaurants — 275 clean, 85 mid, 81 cooked.

Against the 443 spots Cooked tracks in Chatham, this one comes out cleaner than 24% of them.

Other spots in Chatham

• ✓ Advanced Petroleum
  clean · April 13, 2018
• ✓ The Wrap Bar
  clean · May 14, 2026
• ? Treblax Corporation
  cooked · April 3, 2012
• ? Bzy Grill Inc
  cooked · December 10, 2019
• ✓ Assafway Market
  clean · June 8, 2018
• ✓! 79Th & King Fuel Mart Inc
  mid · November 29, 2018

See every restaurant inspection in Chatham →

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 March 26, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.