Corner Bakery Cafe

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJune 1, 2026
• address500 W Madison St, Chicago 60661

Is Corner Bakery Cafe clean?

Corner Bakery Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 1, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Corner Bakery Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 1, 2026, 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 • OBSERVED NO PERSON-IN-CHARGE WITH CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER TRAINING OR CERTIFICATE ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN AT LEAST ONE PERSON-IN-CHARGE WITH CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON-SITE DURING ALL HOURS OF FOOD OPERATION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION.
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO FOOD EMPLOYEE ON-SITE WITH CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER TRAINING OR ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE ON-SITE WHILE TCS FOOD ITEMS ARE BEING PREPARED (SANDWICHES, SOUPS, SALADS). INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AT LEAST ONE FOOD EMPLOYEE WITH CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE(S) ON-SITE AND POSTED IN PUBLIC VIEW AT ALL HOURS OF FOOD OPERATIONS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-012 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED HAND SOAP NOT PROVIDED AT THE COFFEE PREPARATION AREA HANDWASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE HAND SOAP TO ALL HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN AVAILABLE FOR USE IN HANDWASHING AT ALL TIMES. PERSON-IN-CHARGE PROVIDED HAND SOAP TO COFFEE PREPARATION AREA HANDWASHING SINK ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C) CITATION ISSUED. • OBSERVED DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS NOT PROVIDED AT THE COFFEE PREPARATION AREA HANDWASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS OR OTHER APPROVED HAND DRYING METHOD TO ALL HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN AVAILABLE FOR USE IN HANDWASHING AT ALL TIMES. PERSON-IN-CHARGE PROVIDED DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS TO COFFEE PREPARATION AREA HANDWASHING SINK ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C) CITATION COMBINED WITH ABOVE VIOLATION.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED 2-DOOR DRAWER COOLER AT THE MAIN KITCHEN LINE IN POOR REPAIR, INTERNAL AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE OF 55.0F AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PERSON-IN-CHARGE AWARE OF COOLER MALFUNCTION AND PROVIDED PROOF OF WORK ORDER REQUEST PLACED PRIOR TO INSPECTION, NO TCS FOOD ITEMS INSIDE LISTED COOLER AT TIME OF INSPECTION. TAGGED EQUIPMENT WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO CONTACT CDPH ONCE EQUIPMENT IS REPAIRED OR REPLACED AND PRIOR TO USE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE COOLER TO MAINTAIN TCS FOOD ITEMS AT 41.0F OR BELOW AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED BULK DRY FOOD CONTAINERS (SALT, BROWN SUGAR, FLOUR) AT THE REAR BAKERY/OVEN AREA NOT LABELED. INSTRUCTED TO LABEL ALL BULK DRY FOOD CONTAINERS WITH THE COMMON NAME OF THE FOOD STORED AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED NO SPLASH GUARD PROVIDED AT THE HANDWASHING SINK IN THE WAREWASHING AREA DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO BAKERY RACK OF OPEN BREAD AND OTHER BAKED FOOD ITEMS. INSTRUCTED TO RELOCATE BAKERY RACK OR PROVIDE SPLASH GUARD OR OTHER MEANS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF OPEN FOODS FROM SPLASH OR SPILLAGE AND MAINTAIN.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED NO SPLASH GUARD PROVIDED AT THE HANDWASHING SINK IN THE WAREWASHING AREA DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO BAKERY RACK OF OPEN BREAD AND OTHER BAKED FOOD ITEMS. INSTRUCTED TO RELOCATE BAKERY RACK OR PROVIDE SPLASH GUARD OR OTHER MEANS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF OPEN FOODS FROM SPLASH OR SPILLAGE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED FAUCET AT THE MAIN KITCHEN LINE AREA HANDWASHING SINK IN POOR REPAIR, LEAKING BUT FUNCTIONAL. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE MAIN KITCHEN LINE AREA HANDWASHING SINK FAUCET TO ELIMINATE LEAK AND MAINTAIN ALL PLUMBING FIXTURES IN GOOD REPAIR.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED INTENSITY OF LIGHTING IN THE WALK-IN FREEZER TO BE INSUFFICIENT, LIGHT FIXTURE IN POOR REPAIR. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE WALK-IN FREEZER LIGHT FIXTURE AND MAINTAIN LIGHTING OF SUFFICIENT INTENSITY FOR THIS AREA.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED INTENSITY OF LIGHTING IN THE WALK-IN FREEZER TO BE INSUFFICIENT, LIGHT FIXTURE IN POOR REPAIR. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE WALK-IN FREEZER LIGHT FIXTURE AND MAINTAIN LIGHTING OF SUFFICIENT INTENSITY FOR THIS AREA.

When was Corner Bakery Cafe last inspected?

Corner Bakery Cafe has 6 inspections on record going back to February 27, 2025.

Corner Bakery Cafe vs Loop

Loop runs 70% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 2,521 clean, 764 mid, 300 cooked.

Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 9% of them.

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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 1, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.