Barbara's Soul Food

• resultFail
• critical violations2
• last inspectedFebruary 21, 2014
• address353 1/2 E 51St St, Chicago 60615

Is Barbara's Soul Food clean?

Barbara's Soul Food is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on February 21, 2014. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.

What did inspectors find at Barbara's Soul Food?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 21, 2014, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ❓food from a questionable sourcecritical
  Adequate Number, Convenient, Accessible, Designed, And Maintained • TOILET, URINAL AND HANDSINK IN STAFF WASHROOM NOT OPERABLE AT THIS TIME. THERE IS NO WATER SO URINAL AND TOILET DON'T FLUSH AND SINK DOESN'T WORK. EMPLOYEES ARE UNABLE TO USE FACILITIES. PER OWNER PIPES ARE FROZEN THAT SUPPLY WATER FOR THE WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED THAT WASHROOM MUST BE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY WITH ALL EQUIPMENT WORKING. CRITICAL VIOLATION ISSUED 7-38-030.
• ⚠️No Evidence Of Rodent Or Insect Infestation, No Birds, Turtles Or Other Animals • OBSERVED OVER 200 MOUSE DROPPINGS THROUGHOUT PREMISES; IN PREP AREA UNDER COOKING EQUIPMENT, IN CLOSET INSIDE OF KITCHEN, NEXT TO THREE COMP SINK, BEHIND REFERIGERATION UNITS, INSIDE OF FRYER, INSIDE OF UTILITY CLOSET IN HALLWAY ON FLOOR, IN HALLWAY ON FLOOR AND IN WASHROOM ON FLOOR. MUST CLEAN ALL AFFECTED AREAS AND HAVE PEST CONTROL COMPANY SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT. CRITICAL VIOLATION 7-38-020 ISSUED.critical
  No Evidence Of Rodent Or Insect Infestation, No Birds, Turtles Or Other Animals • OBSERVED OVER 200 MOUSE DROPPINGS THROUGHOUT PREMISES; IN PREP AREA UNDER COOKING EQUIPMENT, IN CLOSET INSIDE OF KITCHEN, NEXT TO THREE COMP SINK, BEHIND REFERIGERATION UNITS, INSIDE OF FRYER, INSIDE OF UTILITY CLOSET IN HALLWAY ON FLOOR, IN HALLWAY ON FLOOR AND IN WASHROOM ON FLOOR. MUST CLEAN ALL AFFECTED AREAS AND HAVE PEST CONTROL COMPANY SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT. CRITICAL VIOLATION 7-38-020 ISSUED.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN THE FOLLOWING: EXTERIOR SURFACES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT, INTERIOR BOTTOMS OF FRYERS TO REMOVE DROPPINGS, GREASE AND FOOD PARTICLES, INTERIOR OF REFRIGERATION UNIT, UNDERNEATH GRILL, MICROWAVE EXTERIOR, STORAGE CABINET, STORAGE CART AND STORAGE SHELVES, ETC.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • MUST CLEAN FLOORS IN ALL AREAS WHERE MOUSE DROPPINGS OBSERVED UNDER, AROUND AND BEHIND KITCHEN EQUIPMENT, UTILITY CLOSET AND WASHROOM.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • MUST CLEAN FLOORS IN ALL AREAS WHERE MOUSE DROPPINGS OBSERVED UNDER, AROUND AND BEHIND KITCHEN EQUIPMENT, UTILITY CLOSET AND WASHROOM.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • MUST CLEAN WALLS AROUND AND BEHIND KITCHEN EQUIPMENT. MUST REPLACE ALL STAINED CEILING TILES IN WASHROOM AND REAR HALLWAY. SOME MISSING IN WASHROOM; REPLACE. REPAIR WALL IN WASHROOM WHERE OPEN TO GET TO FROZEN PIPES. MUST CLEAN VENTS IN HOODED SYSTEM ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • MUST CLEAN WALLS AROUND AND BEHIND KITCHEN EQUIPMENT. MUST REPLACE ALL STAINED CEILING TILES IN WASHROOM AND REAR HALLWAY. SOME MISSING IN WASHROOM; REPLACE. REPAIR WALL IN WASHROOM WHERE OPEN TO GET TO FROZEN PIPES. MUST CLEAN VENTS IN HOODED SYSTEM ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT.
• ⚠️Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • PROVIDE A THERMOMETER FOR REFRIGERATION UNIT.
  Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • PROVIDE A THERMOMETER FOR REFRIGERATION UNIT.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • REMOVE CLUTTER OF ITEMS INSIDE OF UTILITY SINK IN CLOSET; REMOVE SO THAT SINK IS ACCESSIBLE.

When was Barbara's Soul Food last inspected?

Barbara's Soul Food has 7 inspections on record going back to August 1, 2012.

Barbara's Soul Food vs Grand Boulevard

Grand Boulevard runs 67% clean across 265 tracked restaurants — 177 clean, 52 mid, 34 cooked.

Against the 265 spots Cooked tracks in Grand Boulevard, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Grand Boulevard

• ✓ See Thru Chinese Kitchen
  cooked · January 21, 2015
• ✓ Union Sub
  clean · April 2, 2026
• ✓ Leo's Sandwiches And Wings
  cooked · July 16, 2012
• ? Alden Nursing Center
  cooked · June 4, 2012
• ✕ Hp Convenient Mart
  cooked · June 23, 2014
• ✓ Wesley's Place
  cooked · April 30, 2013

See every restaurant inspection in Grand Boulevard →

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 February 21, 2014. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.