Cupitol Coffee . Eatery

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJuly 17, 2025
• address455 E Illinois St, Chicago 60611

Is Cupitol Coffee . Eatery clean?

Cupitol Coffee . Eatery is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 17, 2025. 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 Cupitol Coffee . Eatery?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 17, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO VERIFIABLE CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PERSON IN CHARGE DOES NOT HAVE ORIGINAL CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD MANAGER CERTIFICATE ON THEIR PERSONS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE AN ORIGINAL CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD MANAGER CERTIFICATE IS ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚿water/temperature at the sink offcritical
  No Bare Hand Contact With Rte Food Or A Pre-Approved Alternative Procedure Properly Allowed • OBSERVED COOK USE BARE HAND TO PICK UP TORTILLAS AND BEGIN TO DRESS THOSE TORTILLAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE THERE IS NO BARE HAND CONTACT WITH READY TO EAT FOODS. EMPLOYEE DISCARDED 2 TORTILLA'S AND 1 OZ OF GUACAMOLE ($5) PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-010 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED FOOD EMPLOYEE USE HAND WASHING SINK TO FILL UP PAN OF VEGETABLES. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE HAND WASHING SINK IS USED FOR NO PURPOSE OTHER THAN HAND WASHING. EMPLOYEE MOVED TO PREP SINK. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C) CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED SEVERAL TCS FOODS HELD AT INADEQUATE TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 46-70 F. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE ALL COLD FOODS ARE HELD AT 41 F AND BELOW. MANAGER DISCARDED 1 POUND CREAM CHEESE MIX, 1/2 POUND GREEK YOGURT, 5 POUNDS OF CUSTARD PASTRIES, AND 5 POUNDS TIRAMISU ($75) PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED PREP COOLER WITH AN INADEQUATE AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE OF 50 F. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS ARE HELD AT 41 F AND BELOW. COOLER TAGGED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED PREP SINK AND HAND SINK IN KITCHEN IN NEED OF REPAIR. HAND SINK IS LOOSE TO TOUCH AND HANDLE IS MISSING FROM PREP SINK. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPAIR SINKS.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED CEILING TILES MISSING IN MEN'S TOILET ROOM AND IN AREA ABOVE WALK IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPLACE CEILING TILES.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE FOOD STORED ABOVE SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE EMPLOYEES USE DESIGNATED AREA TO STORE PERSONAL FOOD AND ARTICLES.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE FOOD STORED ABOVE SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENSURE EMPLOYEES USE DESIGNATED AREA TO STORE PERSONAL FOOD AND ARTICLES.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER WITH NO FOOD ALLERGEN TRAINING. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO COMPLLY WITH REQUIREMENT.

When was Cupitol Coffee . Eatery last inspected?

Cupitol Coffee . Eatery has 20 inspections on record going back to March 7, 2017. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Cupitol Coffee . Eatery vs Near North Side

Near North Side runs 53% clean across 2,889 tracked restaurants — 1,514 clean, 253 mid, 1,113 cooked.

Against the 2,889 spots Cooked tracks in Near North Side, this one comes out cleaner than 39% of them.

Other spots in Near North Side

• ✓ Cupitol Coffee . Eatery
  clean · March 14, 2017
• ✓ Teavana #28346
  cooked · October 11, 2016
• ✓! Lalo's Mexican And Tequila Bar
  cooked · July 5, 2019
• ✓ Lalo's Mexican And Tequila Bar
  clean · June 28, 2016
• ✓ Kikisnack Inc.
  clean · August 10, 2016
• ✓ America's Dog
  clean · June 9, 2016

See every restaurant inspection in Near North Side →

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 July 17, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.