Cermak Fresh Market

• resultPass
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMarch 17, 2026
• address5101-5129 W Belmont Ave, Chicago 60641
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Cermak Fresh Market clean?

Cermak Fresh Market is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on March 17, 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 Cermak Fresh Market?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 17, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNS OR POSTERS NEAR HANDWASHING SINK IN REAR BAKERY FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST PROVIDE SIGNS OR POSTERS AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • MUST LABEL FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WHEN FOOD IS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OUTER OPENINGS NOT PROTECTED. OBSERVED BIG OPENING ON BOTTOM OF DOUBLE FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR. MUST MAKE DOOR RODENT PROOF TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON TOP OF PREP TABLES IN REAR BAKERY PREP AREA, AND IN THE MAIN KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST PROPERLY STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN A SANITATION SOLUTION WHEN NOT IN USE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACES OF ALL REACH-IN COOLER WITH FOOD DEBRIS ACCUMULATION IN REAR PREP/COOKING LINE. • OBSERVED DIRT AND GREASE BUILD UP ON COOKING EQUIPMENT IN CARNITAS PREP AREA, BAKERY PREP AREA AND MAIN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK IN TORTILLA PREP AREA DRAINING SLOW. MUST REPAIR AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED SMALL HOLES AROUND SEVERAL PIPES THROUGHOUT FACILITY AND A LARGE HOLE IN THE CEILING OF FIRST FLOOR WOMEN'S TOILET ROOM. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION. OBSERVED DAMAGED AMD MISSING FLOOR TILES IN REAR BAKERY DEPARTMENT AND CARNITAS FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST REPAIR/REPLACE AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES. • OBSERVED HEAVY ACCUMULATION OF DUST BUILD UP ON CEILING VENTILATION VENTS IN THE MEAT DEPARTMENT AND BOTH WASHROOMS. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED ACCUMULATIONOF GREASE ON VENTILATION HOOD AND FILTERS ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT ON CARNITAS PREP AREA, BAKERY PREP AREA AND MAIN KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED ACCUMULATIONOF GREASE ON VENTILATION HOOD AND FILTERS ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT ON CARNITAS PREP AREA, BAKERY PREP AREA AND MAIN KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.

When was Cermak Fresh Market last inspected?

Cermak Fresh Market has 10 inspections on record going back to July 23, 2021.

Cermak Fresh Market vs Belmont Cragin

Belmont Cragin runs 60% clean across 787 tracked restaurants — 470 clean, 175 mid, 137 cooked.

Against the 787 spots Cooked tracks in Belmont Cragin, this one comes out cleaner than 40% of them.

Other spots in Belmont Cragin

• ✓ Uncle Remus Sfc
  clean · April 8, 2026
• ✓ Uncle Remus Sfc
  clean · June 10, 2024
• ✓ Dulce Mesa
  clean · April 16, 2025
• ✓! Halal Dz House
  mid · December 29, 2022
• ✓ The Fancy Rolled Ice Cream
  clean · September 15, 2023
• ✓ Uncle Remus
  clean · May 12, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Belmont Cragin →

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 March 17, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.