Barbie Cafe

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedAugust 22, 2023
• address324 S Racine Ave, Chicago 60607

Is Barbie Cafe clean?

Barbie Cafe is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on August 22, 2023. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Barbie Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 22, 2023, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CERTIFIED MANAGER ON SITE WHILE TCS ITEMS SUCH AS CHICKEN WERE PREPARED. THE CERTIFIED MANAGER ARRIVED ON SITE AT 11:30 AM. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN AN EMPLOYEE HOLDING A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOODSERVICE MANAGER CERTIFICATE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • OBSERVED LOW-TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE IN THE REAR DISH AREA MAINTAINING AN IMPROPER CHEMICAL SANITIZER OF 0PPM OF CHLORINE. SEE COMMENTS. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN DISH MACHINE SO THAT IT IS CAPABLE OF DELIVERING PROPER SANITIZER CONCENTRATIONS BETWEEN 50-100PPM AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-025. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING TCS ITEMS HELD AT THE STATED IMPROPER TEMPERATURES INSIDE THE WALK-IN COOLER: CHICKEN AT 51.5F, CHICKEN AT 53.2F, AND HAMBURGERS AT 50.1F. MANAGEMENT VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED APPROXIMATELY 40 LBS OF PRODUCT VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $500. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN ALL TCS ITEMS AT OR BELOW 41F AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 📄consumer advisory missing
  Consumer Advisory Provided For Raw/Undercooked Food • OBSERVED ITEMS ON THE MENU SERVED RAW OR UNDERCOOKED, SUCH AS A FRIED EGG, WITHOUT CONSUMER ADVISORY. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE DISCLOSURE, REMINDER, AND FOOTNOTE FOR ALL ITEMS SERVED RAW OR UNDERCOOKED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED WALK-IN COOLER CONTAINING TCS ITEMS SUCH AS CHICKEN AND HAMBURGERS MAINTAINING AN IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 49.8F. COOLER TAGGED AND HELD FOR INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR SO THAT COOLER MAINTAINS PROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW 41F. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO CHEMICAL TEST STRIPS ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN CHEMICAL SANITIZER TESTING DEVICES ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
  Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO CHEMICAL TEST STRIPS ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN CHEMICAL SANITIZER TESTING DEVICES ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED HEAVY BUILD-UP OF GREASE AND FOOD DEBRIS IN THE INTERIOR OF FRYER CABINETS. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION. • OBSERVED UNUSED EQUIPMENT IN THE BASEMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE FROM PREMISES.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 1 BURNT-OUT LIGHTBULB IN THE HOOD OVER THE MAIN COOK LINE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 1 BURNT-OUT LIGHTBULB IN THE HOOD OVER THE MAIN COOK LINE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED ALL FOOD EMPLOYEES TO COMPLETE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON-SITE AT ALL TIMES.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED ALL FOOD EMPLOYEES TO COMPLETE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON-SITE AT ALL TIMES.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED NO ALLERGEN TRAINING CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES HOLDING THE CITY OF CHICAGO FOODSERVICE MANAGER CERTIFICATE TO COMPLETE ALLERGEN TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON SITE AT ALL TIMES.
• ⚠️Summary Report Displayed And Visible To The Public • OBSERVED NO SUMMARY POSTED FROM PREVIOUS INSPECTION #2562726 DATED 8/25/2022. LEFT NEW SUMMARY AND INSTRUCTED TO POST FOR PUBLIC VIEW. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-42-010(B). CITATION ISSUED.
  Summary Report Displayed And Visible To The Public • OBSERVED NO SUMMARY POSTED FROM PREVIOUS INSPECTION #2562726 DATED 8/25/2022. LEFT NEW SUMMARY AND INSTRUCTED TO POST FOR PUBLIC VIEW. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-42-010(B). CITATION ISSUED.

When was Barbie Cafe last inspected?

Barbie Cafe has 18 inspections on record going back to January 22, 2015. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Barbie Cafe vs Near West Side

Near West Side runs 72% clean across 2,033 tracked restaurants — 1,463 clean, 406 mid, 151 cooked.

Against the 2,033 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 6% of them.

Other spots in Near West Side

• ✓ Big G's Pizza
  clean · March 15, 2018
• ✓ Boutique Bites
  clean · October 23, 2014
• ✓! Boutique Bites
  mid · September 28, 2018
• ✓ Blaze Pizza
  clean · October 21, 2014
• ✓ Blaze Pizza
  clean · February 18, 2026
• ✓ Bombon Cafe
  clean · February 9, 2017

See every restaurant inspection in Near West Side →

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 August 22, 2023. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.