Cooked?
Cafe Descartes
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMay 25, 2022
- address680 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago 60611
Is Cafe Descartes clean?
Cafe Descartes is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on May 25, 2022. 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 Cafe Descartes?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 25, 2022, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🌡️thermometers missingThermometers Provided & Accurate • No thermometer in rear food storage room dairy cooler, instructed to provide.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • Ice build-up at front prep cooler, instructed to defrost and maintain.
When was Cafe Descartes last inspected?
Cafe Descartes has 11 inspections on record going back to December 6, 2010.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| October 16, 2024 | closed by the city | |
| May 25, 2022 | Pass | |
| November 21, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| October 13, 2017 | Pass | |
| October 6, 2017 | Fail | |
| September 22, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| November 19, 2015 | Pass | |
| November 10, 2015 | Fail | |
| April 25, 2012 | closed by the city | |
| September 20, 2011 | Pass | |
| December 6, 2010 | Pass |
Cafe Descartes vs Near North Side
Near North Side runs 53% clean across 2,889 tracked restaurants — 1,514 clean, 253 mid, 1,113 cooked.
Against the 2,889 spots Cooked tracks in Near North Side, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.
Other spots in Near North Side
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 25, 2022. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.