Clarke's

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJune 14, 2012
• address1704 N Damen Ave, Chicago 60647

Is Clarke's clean?

Clarke's is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 14, 2012. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Clarke's?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 14, 2012, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food Protected During Storage, Preparation, Display, Service And Transportation • SOURCE OF CROSS CONTAMINATION, INTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE, TOP AREA OF MACHINE AND INTERIOR PANELS, APPEARS TO HAVE MOLD BUILD-UP, NOT CLEAN, INSTRUCTED TO DISCONTINUE USE, AND USE PRE PACKAGE ICE, UNTIL MACHINE IS CLEAN, MACHINE TAGGED, INSTRUCTED TO FAX A LETTER TO CDPH ONCE MACHINE IS PROPERLY CLEAN AND SANITIZE, FAX #312746-4240 SERIOUS CITATION ISSUED: 7-38-005 (A)
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • MUST RESEAL/REMOVE RUST FROM FRONT AREA COOLER BOTTOM PANEL
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • MUST RESEAL/REMOVE RUST FROM FRONT AREA COOLER BOTTOM PANEL
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • MUST CLEAN VENTS ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • MUST CLEAN FLOOR IN BASEMENT STORAGE CLOSET
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • MUST CLEAN FLOOR IN BASEMENT STORAGE CLOSET
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • MUST CLEAN WALL BY DISH MACHINE REAR KITCHEN PREP AREA, MUST REPAIR BOTTOM OF SCREEN DOOR REAR KITCHEN AREA
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • MUST CLEAN WALL BY DISH MACHINE REAR KITCHEN PREP AREA, MUST REPAIR BOTTOM OF SCREEN DOOR REAR KITCHEN AREA
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Toilet Room Doors Self Closing: Dressing Rooms With Lockers Provided: Complete Separation From Living/Sleeping Quarters • MUST STORE EMPLOYEES BELONGINGS ONE DESIGNATED AREA NICE AND NEATLY
• 🪳pests in the house
  Ventilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • MUST REPAIR LEAK AT THREE COMPARTMENT SINK AND PROVIDE 3 SINK STOPPERS FOR THE SAME SINK
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • MUST CLEAN AND BETTER ORGANIZE BASEMENT STORAGE CLOSET, REMOVE CLUTTER AND BETTER MAINTAIN

When was Clarke's last inspected?

Clarke's has 7 inspections on record going back to March 19, 2010.

Clarke's 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 21% of them.

Other spots in West Town

• ✓ Tozi Restaurant
  clean · June 12, 2018
• ✓ Blu Coral
  clean · March 31, 2010
• ✓ Lush Wine & Spirits
  clean · October 15, 2025
• ? Alina Pharmacy
  cooked · April 30, 2020
• ✓ High Dive / Dante's Tavern
  clean · June 6, 2024
• ✓ High Dive
  clean · May 18, 2011

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 June 14, 2012. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.