Cooked?
Cafe Central
- resultPass
- critical violations1
- last inspectedMay 7, 2026
- address1437 W Chicago Ave, Chicago 60642
Is Cafe Central clean?
Cafe Central is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 7, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Cafe Central?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 7, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT THE HANDWASHING SINKS IN THE REAR PREP/KITCHEN AREA AND AT THE FRONTLINE HANDWASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
- 🏷️food improperly labeledFood Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WITHOUT LABELS CONTAINING THE COMMON NAME OF FOODS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
- ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN 2 DOOR REFRIGERATOR/COOLER UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION. • OBSERVED NO SPLASHGUARD BETWEEN EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK AND DRAINBOARD OF 3 COMPARTMENT SINK IN THE KITCHEN/PREP AREA AND BETWEEN THE FRONTLINE/FRONT PREP AREA EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK AND 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A WASHABLE SPLASHGUARD.Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN 2 DOOR REFRIGERATOR/COOLER UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION. • OBSERVED NO SPLASHGUARD BETWEEN EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK AND DRAINBOARD OF 3 COMPARTMENT SINK IN THE KITCHEN/PREP AREA AND BETWEEN THE FRONTLINE/FRONT PREP AREA EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK AND 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A WASHABLE SPLASHGUARD.
- ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED SCOOPS FOR DRY STORAGE CONTAINERS BEING STORED DIRECTLY INSIDE OF THE CONTAINER. INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BETWEEN USAGE.In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED SCOOPS FOR DRY STORAGE CONTAINERS BEING STORED DIRECTLY INSIDE OF THE CONTAINER. INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BETWEEN USAGE.
- ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED PLATES NOT INVERTED IN REAR KITCHEN/PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT PLATES AFTER SANITIZING AND AIR DRYING.Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED PLATES NOT INVERTED IN REAR KITCHEN/PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT PLATES AFTER SANITIZING AND AIR DRYING.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IMPROPERLY IN PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS IN THE FREEZER AND OBSERVED FOOD ITEM COVERED WITH FOIL IN REFRIGERATOR. INSTRUCTED TO USE PROPER FOOD GRADE STORAGE BAGS AND CONTAINERS ONLY. • OBSERVED MILK CRATES BEING USED AS SHELVING IN THE KITCHEN/DISHWASHING AREA AND BASEMENT STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE AND PROVIDE SHELVING THAT IS 6" OFF THE FLOOR AND PROVIDES FLOOR ACCESSIBILITY TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FACILITY CLEANING.
When was Cafe Central last inspected?
Cafe Central has 17 inspections on record going back to January 9, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2026 | Pass | |
| April 24, 2025 | Pass | |
| April 17, 2025 | Fail | |
| June 21, 2024 | Pass | |
| June 18, 2024 | Fail | |
| June 7, 2024 | Fail | |
| November 29, 2023 | Pass | |
| November 22, 2023 | Fail | |
| April 22, 2022 | Pass | |
| July 2, 2019 | Pass | |
| August 28, 2018 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| October 5, 2017 | Pass |
Cafe Central 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 28% 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 May 7, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.