Cafe Istanbul

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedFebruary 23, 2026
• address2014 W Division St, Chicago 60622

Is Cafe Istanbul clean?

Cafe Istanbul is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 23, 2026. 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 Cafe Istanbul?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 23, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧼hand hygiene slippingcritical
  Proper Eating, Tasting, Drinking, Or Tobacco Use • OBSERVED PERSONAL FOOD ITEM(S) STORED IN THE PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REMOVE AND IDENTIFY A DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEES TO STORE PERSONAL FOOD ITEMS.
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  Hands Clean & Properly Washed • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLER USE THE 3-COMP SINK AS A HANDWASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO USE HANDWASHING SINK ONLY TO WASH HANDS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-010. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT THE HANDWASH SINK IN THE BAR AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
• 🧊food not cooled down right
  Proper Date Marking And Disposition • OBSERVED TIME TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY (TCS) FOODS IN WALK-IN COOLER NOT DATE MARKED TO INDICATE THE PRODUCT'S NAME AND DATE IN WHICH THE FOOD MUST BE DISCARDED OR CONSUMED WITHIN 7 DAYS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE PROPER LABELS FOR DATE MARKING TCS FOODS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food 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 IMPROPERLY IN CONTAINERS STORED ON THE FLOOR IN THE WALK-IN COOLER, WALK-IN FREEZER AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BY ELEVATING AT LEAST SIX INCHES FROM THE FLOOR ON RAISED SHELVING UNITS. OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN PREP AREA COOLER UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDED FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IMPROPERLY IN CONTAINERS STORED ON THE FLOOR IN THE WALK-IN COOLER, WALK-IN FREEZER AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BY ELEVATING AT LEAST SIX INCHES FROM THE FLOOR ON RAISED SHELVING UNITS. OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN PREP AREA COOLER UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDED FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED WET WIPING CLOTHS STORED IMPROPERLY ON PREP SURFACE AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BETWEEN USAGE.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED IN-USE UTENSILS (SCOOPS) STORED IMPROPERLY DIRECTLY INSIDE OF THE FOOD CONTAINER(S). INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BETWEEN USAGE.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED IN-USE UTENSILS (SCOOPS) STORED IMPROPERLY DIRECTLY INSIDE OF THE FOOD CONTAINER(S). INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BETWEEN USAGE.
• ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED PLATES NOT STORED PROPERLY IN THE PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT PLATES.
  Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED PLATES NOT STORED PROPERLY IN THE PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT PLATES.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED CERTIFIED FOOD SERVICE SANITATION MANAGER ON SITE WITHOUT ALLERGEN TRAINING. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION.

When was Cafe Istanbul last inspected?

Cafe Istanbul has 20 inspections on record going back to June 4, 2018. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Cafe Istanbul 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

• ✓! Pieriogi Wagon
  mid · June 8, 2019
• ✓! Bella's Tacos
  mid · July 30, 2019
• ✓! Itsapop
  mid · July 12, 2018
• ✓ Elis Ark
  clean · September 22, 2020
• ✓! Indian Food On Wheels
  mid · July 17, 2018
• ✓ Beatkik
  clean · November 13, 2025

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 February 23, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.