Cafe

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations2
• last inspectedJuly 26, 2024
• address1559 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago 60605

Is Cafe clean?

Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 26, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 26, 2024, 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 PERSON IN CHARGE WITH VALID CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION CERTIFICATE. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO DESIGNATE PERSON IN CHARGE DURING ALL HOURS OF OPERATION.
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER NOR A CERTIFICATE ON SITE WHILE TCS FOODS ARE BEING PREPARED, HANDLED AND SERVED SUCH AS (BURGERS,COLESLAW,HOTDOGS,ETC) A CFM AND A VALID CERTIFICATE MUST BE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-012 CITATION ISSUED
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • NO METAL STEM THERMOMETERS ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE METAL STEM THERMOMETERS FOR PROPER INTERNAL TEMPERATURE TAKING OF TCS FOODS. MAINTAIN SAME.
• ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • FOOD HANDLERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE FOOD PREP AREAS WITH NO HAIR/BEARD RESTRAINTS. INSTRUCTED TO WEAR HAIR AND BEARD RESTRAINTS WHILE IN THE FOOD PREP AREA AND HANDLING FOOD. MAINTAIN SAME.
  Personal Cleanliness • FOOD HANDLERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE FOOD PREP AREAS WITH NO HAIR/BEARD RESTRAINTS. INSTRUCTED TO WEAR HAIR AND BEARD RESTRAINTS WHILE IN THE FOOD PREP AREA AND HANDLING FOOD. MAINTAIN SAME.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • CUTTING BOARDS WITH DARK STAINS AND DEEP GROOVES. INSTRUCTED TO EITHER SAND OR REPLACE CUTTING BOARDS TO MAINTAIN A SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • BAR GUN HOLDERS NEED CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. INTERIOR OF THE ICE MACHINE WITH A BLACK LIKE SUBSTANCE ON THE METAL PANEL. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • LEAK AT THE BASE OF THE FAUCET ON THE 3-COMPARTMENT SINK IN THE REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO FIX AND MAINTAIN LEAK.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • THE INTERIOR OF THE WOMEN TOILET ROOMS WITH DEBRIS, SPIDER WEBS AND DIRT. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN THE WOMEN'S TOILET ROOM.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • THE INTERIOR OF THE WOMEN TOILET ROOMS WITH DEBRIS, SPIDER WEBS AND DIRT. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN THE WOMEN'S TOILET ROOM.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • FOOD HANDLERS ON SITE WITH NO FOOD HANDLER'S TRAINING CERTIFICATE. INSTRUCTED TO HAVE ALL FOOD HANDLERS MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND MAINTAIN PROOF ON SITE.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • FOOD HANDLERS ON SITE WITH NO FOOD HANDLER'S TRAINING CERTIFICATE. INSTRUCTED TO HAVE ALL FOOD HANDLERS MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND MAINTAIN PROOF ON SITE.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED NO CERTIFIED MANAGER WITH FOOD ALLERGEN TRAINING. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO MEET REQUIREMENT.

When was Cafe last inspected?

Cafe has 10 inspections on record going back to May 16, 2013.

Cafe vs Near South Side

Near South Side runs 73% clean across 470 tracked restaurants — 338 clean, 92 mid, 36 cooked.

Against the 470 spots Cooked tracks in Near South Side, this one comes out cleaner than 10% of them.

Other spots in Near South Side

• ✓ Cafe
  clean · May 16, 2013
• ✓ Eurest Dining Services @ L'oreal
  clean · April 29, 2013
• ✓! Asian Outpost Hawaiian Hideout
  mid · April 29, 2026
• ✓ Asian Outpost
  clean · November 12, 2013
• ✓ Kai Sushi
  clean · April 2, 2026
• ✓ Jamaica Jerk Villa Tavern
  clean · May 19, 2014

See every restaurant inspection in Near South 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 July 26, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.