Central Bakery

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedNovember 30, 2023
• address3911 W North Ave, Chicago 60647
• cuisineBakery

Is Central Bakery clean?

Central Bakery is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on November 30, 2023. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Central Bakery?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on November 30, 2023, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • OBSERVED NO METAL STEM PROBE THERMOMETER ON THE PREMISES TO MEASURE THE TEMPERATURE OF COLD FOODS. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED BREAD BEING STORED IN CARDBOARD BOXES. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO STORE ALL FOODS IN FOOD GRADE STORAGE CONTAINERS. • OBSERVED RUSTED STORAGE RACKS STORED INSIDE OF THE WALK-IN COOLER. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE RUST AND REPAINT OR REPLACE THE STORAGE RACKS.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • CLEAN THE PREP TABLES, FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS, INTERIOR OF PREP COOLERS, AND STORAGE SHELVES.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE IN THE EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE IN THE EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • REPLACE THE MISSING FLOOR TILES IN THE MIDDLE FOOD PREP AREA. REPAIR THE OPENINGS IN THE DRYWALL CEILING IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA. • CLEAN THE FLOORS THROUGHOUT ALL PREP AREAS AND IN THE WALK-IN COOLER. CLEAN THE WALLS AND CEILINGS OF THE FOOD PREP AREAS.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED SEVERAL LIGHT FIXTURES IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA WITHOUT A LIGHT SHIELD AND END CAPS. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE. • OBSERVED INADEQUATE LIGHTING IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA. ONE OF THE LIGHT FIXTURES IS OUT. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING IN ALL FOOD PREP AREAS.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED SEVERAL LIGHT FIXTURES IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA WITHOUT A LIGHT SHIELD AND END CAPS. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE. • OBSERVED INADEQUATE LIGHTING IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA. ONE OF THE LIGHT FIXTURES IS OUT. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING IN ALL FOOD PREP AREAS.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED A FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEE WITHOUT A VALID FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATE. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED THAT ALL FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEES MUST SHOW PROOF OF TRAINING.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED A FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEE WITHOUT A VALID FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATE. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED THAT ALL FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEES MUST SHOW PROOF OF TRAINING.

When was Central Bakery last inspected?

Central Bakery has 14 inspections on record going back to September 20, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Central Bakery vs Humboldt Park

Humboldt Park runs 65% clean across 728 tracked restaurants — 467 clean, 112 mid, 143 cooked.

Against the 728 spots Cooked tracks in Humboldt Park, this one comes out cleaner than 32% of them.

Other spots in Humboldt Park

• ? La Estacion Taqueria
  cooked · January 19, 2011
• ? Asi Es Guerrero Restaurant
  cooked · January 10, 2013
• ? Solidarity Food
  cooked · December 23, 2011
• ? Chicago Bulls Fresh Meat Market
  cooked · November 14, 2012
• ✓ Beefee Submarine Inc
  clean · August 10, 2012
• ✓ Casa Central Community Service
  clean · October 16, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Humboldt Park →

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 November 30, 2023. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.