Cooked?
Big Star
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedApril 30, 2024
- address1531 N Damen Ave, Chicago 60622
Is Big Star clean?
Big Star is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 30, 2024. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Big Star?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 30, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED SEVERAL TCS FOODS HELD AT INADEQUATE TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 45-48 F. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE ALL COLD TCS FOODS ARE HELD AT 41 F AND BELOW. MANAGER DISCARDED: 1/4 POUND COOKED VEGETABLES, 2 POUNDS FISH FILET, 1/2 POUND CHORIZO, 1 POUND CUT LEAFY GREENS, AND 1/3 POUND CHEESE ($200). PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧫food prep surfaces dirtyProper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED 2 COOLERS WITH INADEQUATE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURES OF 51 F AND 53 F. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS HAVE AN AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE OF 41 F AND BELOW. COOLER TAGGED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
When was Big Star last inspected?
Big Star has 16 inspections on record going back to April 16, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2024 | closed by the city | |
| April 30, 2024 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| July 21, 2023 | Pass | |
| March 15, 2022 | Pass | |
| August 6, 2020 | Pass | |
| July 29, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| January 30, 2018 | Pass | |
| May 12, 2017 | Pass | |
| October 25, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 16, 2016 | Pass | |
| May 9, 2016 | Fail | |
| February 5, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions |
Big Star vs West Town
West Town runs 72% clean across 2,068 tracked restaurants — 1,475 clean, 422 mid, 160 cooked.
Against the 2,068 spots Cooked tracks in West Town, this one comes out cleaner than 21% of them.
Other spots in West Town
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 30, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.