Chop Shop/1St Ward

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedDecember 10, 2025
• address2033-2035 W North Ave, Chicago 60647

Is Chop Shop/1St Ward clean?

Chop Shop/1St Ward is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on December 10, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Chop Shop/1St Ward?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 10, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HOT WATER IN WALK-IN COOLER BUTCHER AREA, NO HOT WATER AT HANDSINKS IN BOTH MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TOILET ROOMS. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE: HOT WATER AT ALL HAND WASHING SINKS MUST BE AT LEAST 100°F.PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED. • OBSERVED NO PAPER TOWEL AT THE HAND-SINK IN THE FRONT PREP AREA. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE THAT PAPER TOWELS MUST BE AVAILABLE AT HAND SINKS AT ALL TIMES. FOOD HANDLER OBTAINED PAPER TOWEL FOR HAND SINK DURING TIME OF INSPECTION PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED. • OBSERVED HANDSINK IN WALK-IN COOLER BUTCHER AREA MISSING HOT WATER HANDLE, INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL HANDLE AND MAINTAIN. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • NOTED: THE LOW-TEMPERATURE DISH WASHING MACHINE IN USE IS NOT PROPERLY SANITIZING. SANITIZING STRENGTH OF SANITIZER (CHLORINE) AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION WAS 0 PPM. EQUIPMENT MUST BE PROPERLY SANITIZED AT A MINIMUM OF 50 PPM. INSTRUCTED NOT TO USE THE UNIT UNTIL REINSPECTED BY THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (CDPH). TAGGED UNIT. PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-025. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧪toxic chemicals mishandled
  Compliance With Variance/Specialized Process/Haccp • OBSERVED FACILITY NOT MEETING COMPLIANCE WITH VARIANCE/SPECIALIZED PROCESS; FACILITY IN (ROP) REDUCE OXYGEN PACKAGING OF COOKED MEAT, ETC. IN PREP KITCHEN AREA. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE OF REQUIREMENTS AND FACILITY MUST MEET AND MAINTAIN. TAG UNIT AND 350 POUNDS OF FOOD PRODUCTS. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• ⚠️Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • OBSERVED FACILITY NOT MEETING VARIANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR MODIFIED (ROP) PACKAGING PERFORMED IN FACILITY.NO HACCP ON SITE NO DOCUMENTATION FOR PROCEDURE PERFORMED IN FACILITY. INFORMED FACILITY OF REQUIREMENTS MUST MEET AND MAINTAIN. CITATION CONSOLIDATED WITH #29.
  Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • OBSERVED FACILITY NOT MEETING VARIANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR MODIFIED (ROP) PACKAGING PERFORMED IN FACILITY.NO HACCP ON SITE NO DOCUMENTATION FOR PROCEDURE PERFORMED IN FACILITY. INFORMED FACILITY OF REQUIREMENTS MUST MEET AND MAINTAIN. CITATION CONSOLIDATED WITH #29.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED NO BARRIER BETWEEN COUNTER SPACE AND CHAFING DISHES SET UP FOR BUFFET AT BAR TO PROTECT FOOD FROM CONTAMINATION. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A BARRIER MOVABLE SNEEZE GUARDS TO PROTECT FOOD FROM CONTAMINATION. PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-005. NO CITATION ISSUED.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED NO BARRIER BETWEEN COUNTER SPACE AND CHAFING DISHES SET UP FOR BUFFET AT BAR TO PROTECT FOOD FROM CONTAMINATION. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A BARRIER MOVABLE SNEEZE GUARDS TO PROTECT FOOD FROM CONTAMINATION. PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-005. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED MILK CRATES BEING USED AS SHELVING THROUGHOUT THE PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. MUST REMOVE AND PROVIDE SHELVING THAT IS 6" OFF THE FLOOR AND PROVIDES FLOOR ACCESSIBILITY TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FACILITY CLEANING.
• ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED OUTSIDE DUMPSTER WITH LIDS NOT CLOSED DUE TO TRASH OVERFLOWING. INSTRUCTED TO CORRECT AND MAINTAIN TO ENSURE TIGHT-FITTING LIDS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-020(B). CITATION ISSUED.
  Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED OUTSIDE DUMPSTER WITH LIDS NOT CLOSED DUE TO TRASH OVERFLOWING. INSTRUCTED TO CORRECT AND MAINTAIN TO ENSURE TIGHT-FITTING LIDS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-020(B). CITATION ISSUED.

When was Chop Shop/1St Ward last inspected?

Chop Shop/1St Ward has 23 inspections on record going back to September 26, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Chop Shop/1St Ward 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 40% of them.

Other spots in West Town

• ✓ Chop Shop/1St Ward
  clean · October 2, 2013
• ✓ M Vie
  clean · May 14, 2013
• ✓! Tamalli Space Charros
  mid · June 22, 2019
• ✓ Epic Spices
  clean · April 19, 2013
• ✓! Bar Biscay
  cooked · August 7, 2019
• ✓ Unite Grill
  clean · November 5, 2013

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 December 10, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.