Bombastic Cafe

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedDecember 4, 2024
• address3732 N Southport Ave, Chicago 60613

Is Bombastic Cafe clean?

Bombastic Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on December 4, 2024. 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 Bombastic Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 4, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO MANAGER WITH A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD CERTIFICATE ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. ONE MANAGER PRESENT WITH EXPIRED CERTIFICATE AND ONE MANAGER PRESENT WITH SERVSAFE CERTIFICATE ONLY. INSTRUCTED CURRENT PERSON IN CHARGE THAT A MANAGER WITH A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD CERTIFICATE MUST BE PRESENT DURING ALL HOURS OF OPERATION WHILE TCS FOODS SUCH AS COFFEE AND DAIRY DRINKS ARE HANDLED AND PREPARED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION, #7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
• ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED VARIOUS BOXES OF SINGLE SERVICE ITEMS STORED ON THE FLOOR IN THE BASEMENT DRY STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL EQUIPMENT AND BOXES AT LEAST 6 INCHES OFF THE FLOOR.
  Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED VARIOUS BOXES OF SINGLE SERVICE ITEMS STORED ON THE FLOOR IN THE BASEMENT DRY STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL EQUIPMENT AND BOXES AT LEAST 6 INCHES OFF THE FLOOR.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED TOP OF COUNTERS IN MAIN PREPARATION AREA TO BE COVERED IN DEBRIS AND COFFEE. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN AREA FREE OF EXCESSIVE DEBRIS AND COFFEE BUILD UP.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED TRASH CAN IN THE EMPLOYEE BATHROOM IN BASEMENT. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A COVERED TRASH CAN IN EVERY UNISEX AND FEMALE BATHROOM ON SITE.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED TRASH CAN IN THE EMPLOYEE BATHROOM IN BASEMENT. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A COVERED TRASH CAN IN EVERY UNISEX AND FEMALE BATHROOM ON SITE.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED LARGE TWO DOOR STANDING COOLER/FREEZER TO BE NOT PLUGGED IN AND STORED IN THE BASEMENT. MANAGER STATED UNIT WILL BE REMOVED. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ANY ITEMS NOT NECESSARY TO MAINTAINING FACILITY.
• ⚠️Summary Report Displayed And Visible To The Public • OBSERVED NO SUMMARY REPORT FROM MOST RECENT INSPECTION ON 09/29/2022, REPORT #2564518 POSTED IN PLAIN VIEW OF PUBLIC AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE SUMMARY REPORT IS POSTED AND AVAILABLE IN PLAIN VIEW OF PUBLIC AT ALL TIMES. NEW SUMMARY REPORT PROVIDED AT TIME OF INSPECTION FOR CURRENT INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION, 7-42-010(b). CITATION ISSUED.
  Summary Report Displayed And Visible To The Public • OBSERVED NO SUMMARY REPORT FROM MOST RECENT INSPECTION ON 09/29/2022, REPORT #2564518 POSTED IN PLAIN VIEW OF PUBLIC AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE SUMMARY REPORT IS POSTED AND AVAILABLE IN PLAIN VIEW OF PUBLIC AT ALL TIMES. NEW SUMMARY REPORT PROVIDED AT TIME OF INSPECTION FOR CURRENT INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION, 7-42-010(b). CITATION ISSUED.

When was Bombastic Cafe last inspected?

Bombastic Cafe has 7 inspections on record going back to October 30, 2018.

Bombastic Cafe vs Lake View

Lake View runs 68% clean across 2,211 tracked restaurants — 1,492 clean, 440 mid, 272 cooked.

Against the 2,211 spots Cooked tracks in Lake View, this one comes out cleaner than 19% of them.

Other spots in Lake View

• ✓ Elevate Coffee
  clean · May 11, 2026
• ✓! Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken
  mid · February 10, 2025
• ✓ Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken
  clean · November 20, 2018
• ✓! Legend Tasty House
  mid · August 27, 2018
• ✓ New Banh Mi & Co.
  clean · October 5, 2021
• ✓ Devil Dawgs
  clean · June 24, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Lake View →

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 December 4, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.