Black Dog Gelato

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedOctober 3, 2025
• address859 N Damen Ave, Chicago 60622

Is Black Dog Gelato clean?

Black Dog Gelato is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on October 3, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Black Dog Gelato?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 3, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • MUST CLEAN FOOD SPLATTER FROM WALL IN WALK IN FREEZER. • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE MISSING FLOOR TILE IN WALK IN COOLER. • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM FLOOR IN BASEMENT AND STANDING WATER ON FLOOR BEHIND REACH IN FREEZER. • MUST ELEVATE,REMOVE OR ORGANIZE ARTICLES OFF OF FLOOR AND AWAY FROM WALLS IN BASEMENT.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 📋no certified food manager on dutycritical
  Person In Charge Present, Demonstrates Knowledge, And Performs Duties • PIC DOESN'T HAVE A CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGERS CERTIFICATE MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.(PRIROITY FOUNDATION 7-38-012)
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER CERTIFICATE POSTED TO VIEW WHILE TCS FOODS ARE BEING PREPARED.HANDLED AND SERVED SUCH AS (SLICED TURKEY,PESTO,ARUGULA,PASTRAMI,GELATO,ETC)MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.(PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-012)(CITATION ISSUED)
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  Hands Clean & Properly Washed • OBSERVED POOR HYGIENIC PRACTICES BY MALE FOOD HANDLER OBSERVED HIM GO INTO WALK IN FREEZER AND COME BACK OUT,THEN PUT A MAGNET ON SIDE OF WALK IN COOLER THEN PUT ON PLASTIC GLOVES AND HANDLED A TURKEY SANDWICH THAT WAS ON TOPSIDE OF PREP COOLER TO PUT IN DELI PAPER WITHOUT WASHING HANDS.MUST WASH HANDS AFTER EVERY POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION.(PRIORITY 7-38-010)(COS)(CITATION ISSUED) • OBSERVED MALE FOOD HANDLER WASH HIS HANDS AT 3- COMPARTMENT SINK FAR RIGHT COMPARTMENT SINK,AFTER BEING INSTRUCTED TO WASH HIS HANDS AFTER EVERY POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION .INSTRUCTED TO WASH HANDS AT DESIGNATED HAND WASHING SINK. (COS)(PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-010)(COS)(CITATION ISSUED)
• ⚠️Gloves Used Properly • OBSERVED IMPROPER USAGE OF PLASTIC GLOVES BY FOOD HANDLER.
  Gloves Used Properly • OBSERVED IMPROPER USAGE OF PLASTIC GLOVES BY FOOD HANDLER.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • MUST ELIMINATE CRATES USED FOR FOOD STORAGE IN WALK IN COOLER AND 1ST FL. DRY STORAGE AREA.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE LEAKY AIR CONDITIONING UNIT IN TOILET ROOM AND LEAKY CONDENSER IN WALK IN COOLER.

When was Black Dog Gelato last inspected?

Black Dog Gelato has 16 inspections on record going back to June 3, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Black Dog Gelato 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 8% of them.

Other spots in West Town

• ✓ Subway
  clean · July 6, 2015
• ✓ Yumcakes
  clean · June 17, 2010
• ✓ West Town Senior Center
  clean · October 14, 2025
• ✓ Simple Sandwich Llc.
  clean · June 28, 2010
• ✓ Scatterbrain
  clean · July 2, 2010
• ✓! Tamalli Space Charros
  mid · September 11, 2012

See every restaurant inspection 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 October 3, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.