Blackwood Bbq

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJanuary 29, 2025
• address222 W Merchandise Mart Plz, Chicago 60654

Is Blackwood Bbq clean?

Blackwood Bbq is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on January 29, 2025. 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 Blackwood Bbq?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 29, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋no certified food manager on dutycritical
  Person In Charge Present, Demonstrates Knowledge, And Performs Duties • OBSERVED NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOODSERVICE MANAGER ON PREMISES. INSTRUCTED CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOODSERVICE MANAGER MUST BE ON PREMISES AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOODSERVICE MANAGER ON PREMISES. INSTRUCTED CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOODSERVICE MANAGER MUST BE ON PREMISES AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-012 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO DISPOSABLE TOWELS AT HANDWASHING SINK IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED HANDWASHING SINKS SHALL BE PROVIDED WITH HAND DRYING PROVISIONS AT ALL TIMES. CORRECTED ON SITE DISPOSABLE TOWELS PROVIDED FOR HANDWASHING SINK IN REAR PREP AREA BEFORE CONCLUSION OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C) CITATION ISSUED.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED BUILDUP ON CAN OPENER IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE CAN OPENER. • OBSERVED BOXES STORED ON FLOOR UNDERNEATH COUNTER IN REAR PREP. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SHELVING TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD AND NON FOOD ITEMS AT LEAST SIX INCHES OFF OF FLOOR FOR EASE OF CLEANABILITY.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED PREP TABLE IN REAR NEAR ICE MACHINE WITH BUILDUP ON LEGS AND PANS AT BASE OF TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE PREP TABLE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED DRAINPIPE OF THREE COMPARTMENT SINK LEAKING. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR DRAINPIPE OF THREE COMPARTMENT SINK.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED DIMLY LIT REAR PREP AREA IN AREA NEAR ICE MACHINE AND PREP TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY IN REAR PREP AREA IN AREA NEAR ICE MACHINE AND PREP TABLE.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED DIMLY LIT REAR PREP AREA IN AREA NEAR ICE MACHINE AND PREP TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY IN REAR PREP AREA IN AREA NEAR ICE MACHINE AND PREP TABLE.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR FOOD HANDLER. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR FOOD HANDLER. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS.

When was Blackwood Bbq last inspected?

Blackwood Bbq has 7 inspections on record going back to December 10, 2019.

Blackwood Bbq vs Loop

Loop runs 44% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 1,566 clean, 332 mid, 1,687 cooked.

Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

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See every restaurant inspection in Loop →

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 29, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.