Chef Rafael & Son's

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations2
• last inspectedMay 16, 2025
• address3816 W Montrose Ave, Chicago 60618

Is Chef Rafael & Son's clean?

Chef Rafael & Son's is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 16, 2025. 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 Chef Rafael & Son's?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 16, 2025, 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 • PERSON IN CHARGE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION DOES NOT HAVE A CITY OF CHICAGO SANITATION CERTIFICATE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. NO CITATION ISSUED
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • NO ORIGINAL AND VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATE POSTED NOR PROVIDED ON SITE FOR PRESENT MANAGER ON DUTY AT STARBUCKS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION: 7-38-012, CITATION ISSUED.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • MUST LABEL DRY FOOD CONTAINERS WITH COMMON NAME:RICE,SUGAR ETC.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • MESH AT SCREEN SIDE DOOR BROKEN,INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE TO MINIMIZE PEST/INSECT ENTRY
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • MUST NOT USE TAPE AS PADDING FOR THE CORNER OF THE METAL SPLASHGUARD AT HANDWSHING SINK IN REAR PREP AREA.REMOVE TAPE OR PROVIDE A NEW SPLAHGUARD.SURFACE MUST BE SMOOTH CLEANABLE AND NON-ABSORBENT MATERIAL
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • MUST NOT USE TAPE AS PADDING FOR THE CORNER OF THE METAL SPLASHGUARD AT HANDWSHING SINK IN REAR PREP AREA.REMOVE TAPE OR PROVIDE A NEW SPLAHGUARD.SURFACE MUST BE SMOOTH CLEANABLE AND NON-ABSORBENT MATERIAL
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • ACCUMULATED GREASE AND FOOD DEBRIS ON WALLS, UTILITY CONNECTIONS AND EQUIPMENT SURFACES BEHIND COOKING LINE. ALSO INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF FLAT GRILL.MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • REPAIR LEAKING PIPE UNDER THE HANDWASH SINK INSIDE THE CABINET AT FRONT SERVING AREA.REPLACE HOT WATER HANDLE AT FAUCET OF HANDWSHING SINK IN THE KITCHEN
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • GREASE ON FLOOR UNDER COOKING EQUIPMENT IN PREP AREA.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE PROVIDED ON SITE,INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE PROVIDED ON SITE,INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • NO ALLERGEN TRAINING CERTIFICATES PROVIDED ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOR ALL CERTIFIED FOOD SERVICE MANAGERS

When was Chef Rafael & Son's last inspected?

Chef Rafael & Son's has 13 inspections on record going back to June 23, 2016. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Chef Rafael & Son's vs Irving Park

Irving Park runs 64% clean across 804 tracked restaurants — 516 clean, 141 mid, 146 cooked.

Against the 804 spots Cooked tracks in Irving Park, this one comes out cleaner than 19% of them.

Other spots in Irving Park

• ✓ Bow Truss Coffee Roaster
  clean · August 4, 2016
• ✓! La Biznaga
  mid · December 16, 2021
• ✓ Dona Maris #2
  clean · October 10, 2013
• ✓! Miko's
  mid · December 27, 2021
• ✓ Mirabella's Italian Cuisine + Bar
  clean · December 5, 2025
• ✓ Mirabella's Italian Cuisine + Bar
  clean · November 15, 2016

See every restaurant inspection in Irving 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 May 16, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.