Big Pho

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJanuary 8, 2013
• address3737 W Lawrence Ave Unit E, Chicago 60625

Is Big Pho clean?

Big Pho is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 8, 2013. 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 Big Pho?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 8, 2013, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧼hand hygiene slippingcritical
  Hands Washed And Cleaned, Good Hygienic Practices; No Bare Hand Contact With Ready-To-Eat Foods. • POOR HYGIENIC PRACTICES, OBSERVED A FOOD HANDLER COMING FROM OUTSIDE FROM REMOVING GARBAGE, RETURNING TO THE PREP AREA ONLY RINSED HIS HANDS INSIDE THE 3PART SINK, DRIED HIS HANDS WITH A SOILED CLEANING TOWEL AND RETURNING TO PREP POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS. INSTRUCTED HAND MUST BE WASHED INSIDE THE EXPOSED HAND WASHING SINK WITH WARM WATER AND SOAP AFTER ANY CONTAMINATING CONDITION. THE WASHING OF HANDS INSIDE A UTENSIL WASHING SINK IS PROHIBITED. CRITICAL CITATION ISSUED, 7-38-010(A).
• ⚠️Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • PREP FOODS INSIDE THE WALK IN COOLER NOT LABELED, INSTRUCTED TO DATE/LABEL.
  Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • PREP FOODS INSIDE THE WALK IN COOLER NOT LABELED, INSTRUCTED TO DATE/LABEL.
• ⚠️Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • CLEAN MULTI-USE UTENSILS MUST BE PROPERLY STORED TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • CLEAN MULTI-USE UTENSILS MUST BE PROPERLY STORED TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • MUST DEFROST THE REACH IN FREEZER WITH HEAVY ICE ACCUMULATED AND MAINTAIN. MISSING 3 DRAIN STOPPERS FOR THE 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. MUST PROVIDE. CAULKING AROUND THE WASHBOWL SINK IN BOTH WASHROOM WORN OUT. MUST RE CAULK AND MAINTAIN.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • MUST DEFROST THE REACH IN FREEZER WITH HEAVY ICE ACCUMULATED AND MAINTAIN. MISSING 3 DRAIN STOPPERS FOR THE 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. MUST PROVIDE. CAULKING AROUND THE WASHBOWL SINK IN BOTH WASHROOM WORN OUT. MUST RE CAULK AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • EXCESSIVE GREASE BUILD-UP AND FOOD DEBRIS ON EQUIPMENT, MUST CLEAN/SANITIZE; SLICER, COOKING EQUIPMENT, BOTTOM PANELS OF PREP TABLES, COOLERS, EXTERIOR OF DRIED FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS, MICROWAVE OVEN, AND REMOVE FOIL COVERING ON SHELVING UNITS, CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • FOOD DEBRIS AND GREASE ON FLOORS, INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN FLOORS, UNDER, BEHIND EQUIPMENT AT CORNERS AND ALONG WALLS THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN, FRONT STORAGE AREA AND CLOSET; ALSO MUST REPLACE BROKEN AND MISSING FLOOR TILE THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • FOOD DEBRIS AND GREASE ON FLOORS, INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN FLOORS, UNDER, BEHIND EQUIPMENT AT CORNERS AND ALONG WALLS THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN, FRONT STORAGE AREA AND CLOSET; ALSO MUST REPLACE BROKEN AND MISSING FLOOR TILE THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • FAN COVER WITH HEAVY DUST ACCUMULATED INSIDE THE MENS WASHROOM. MUST CLEAN IN DETAIL AND MAINTAIN. RUSTY AND DAMAGED EXIT DOOR. MUST REMOVE RUST AND REPAIR. MUST SCRAPE PEELING PAINT ON THE WALLS BESIDE THE EXIT DOOR.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • FAN COVER WITH HEAVY DUST ACCUMULATED INSIDE THE MENS WASHROOM. MUST CLEAN IN DETAIL AND MAINTAIN. RUSTY AND DAMAGED EXIT DOOR. MUST REMOVE RUST AND REPAIR. MUST SCRAPE PEELING PAINT ON THE WALLS BESIDE THE EXIT DOOR.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Ventilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • INSTRUCTED TO SEAL/RE-PAINT GREASE TRAP UNDER 3PART SINK.
• ⚠️Appropriate Method Of Handling Of Food (Ice) Hair Restraints And Clean Apparel Worn • : ALL EMPLOYEES HANDLING FOODS IN THE PREP AREA MUST WEAR A HAIR RESTRAINT TO CONFINE THE HAIR.
  Appropriate Method Of Handling Of Food (Ice) Hair Restraints And Clean Apparel Worn • : ALL EMPLOYEES HANDLING FOODS IN THE PREP AREA MUST WEAR A HAIR RESTRAINT TO CONFINE THE HAIR.
• ⚠️Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • INSTRUCTED TO PROPERLY STORED ICE SCOOPS AND CLEANING TOWELS.
  Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • INSTRUCTED TO PROPERLY STORED ICE SCOOPS AND CLEANING TOWELS.

When was Big Pho last inspected?

Big Pho has 4 inspections on record going back to December 27, 2011.

Big Pho vs Albany Park

Albany Park runs 58% clean across 828 tracked restaurants — 478 clean, 149 mid, 198 cooked.

Against the 828 spots Cooked tracks in Albany Park, this one comes out cleaner than 30% of them.

Other spots in Albany Park

• ✓ Chen's Garden
  clean · September 12, 2024
• ? T & C Grocery Market Inc.
  cooked · November 21, 2022
• ? The Pantry
  cooked · March 27, 2020
• ✓ New Five Star Food, Inc.
  clean · December 12, 2014
• ? Bosnia Deli
  cooked · December 13, 2011
• ✓ Pick N Move Food Mart
  clean · December 20, 2010

See every restaurant inspection in Albany 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 January 8, 2013. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.