Edgewater Mexican Cafe

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations4
• last inspectedMay 29, 2024
• address1055 W Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago 60660

Is Edgewater Mexican Cafe clean?

Edgewater Mexican Cafe is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on May 29, 2024. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.

What did inspectors find at Edgewater Mexican Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 29, 2024, 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 • THE PERSON IN CHARGE DURING THE INSPECTION DOES NOT HAVE A CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION.
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON SITE WHILE TCS FOODS ARE BEING PREPARED AND SERVED IE: HOT FOODS HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES IN THE STEAM TABLE: COOKED CHICKEN AT 103.6F. INSTRUCTED A CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER MUST BE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES FOODS ARE PREPARED AND SERVED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧼hand hygiene slippingcritical
  Proper Eating, Tasting, Drinking, Or Tobacco Use • OBSERVED AN EMPLOYEES' OPEN BEVERAGE IN THE FOOD PREP AREA. MUST PROVIDE A DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEES BEVERAGES OUTSIDE OF THE FOOD PREP AREA.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • NOTED NO SOAP AVAILABLE OR SOAP DISPENSER AT THE ABOVE MENTIONED HAND WASHING SINK. MUST PROVIDE SOAP AND PAPER TOWELS AT ALL HAND WASHING SINKS AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C) SEE THE ABOVE VIOLATION #10 FOR CITATION. • OBSERVED THE BAR HAND WASHING SINK NOT ACCESSIBLE FOR USE. ITEMS BEING STORED INSIDE THE SINK SUCH AS CLEAN TOWELS, RUBBER BAR MATS AND TOGO FOOD CONTAINERS. CUSTOMERS NOTED DRINKING AT THE BAR AT THE TIME AND SERVER PREPARING DRINKS FOR CUSTOMERS. SERVER REMOVED ALL ITEMS. REVIEWED THE HAND WASHING SINKS MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR USE AT AL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C) CITATION ISSUED.
• ⚠️Proper Reheating Procedures For Hot Holding • NOTED THE FOLLOWING PREPARED TCS FOODS NOT PROPERLY BEING RAPIDLY REHEATED TO 165 F BEFORE HOLDING HOT IN THE STEAM TABLE. FOODS BEING REHEATED IN THE STEAM TABLE. BEANS AT 125.6F & 114.6F, COOKED CHICKEN AT 111.3F, 123.8F AND 103.6F. FOODS REMOVED AND REHEATED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
  Proper Reheating Procedures For Hot Holding • NOTED THE FOLLOWING PREPARED TCS FOODS NOT PROPERLY BEING RAPIDLY REHEATED TO 165 F BEFORE HOLDING HOT IN THE STEAM TABLE. FOODS BEING REHEATED IN THE STEAM TABLE. BEANS AT 125.6F & 114.6F, COOKED CHICKEN AT 111.3F, 123.8F AND 103.6F. FOODS REMOVED AND REHEATED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  Proper Hot Holding Temperatures • THE FOLLOWING PREPARED TCS FOODS HELD HOT AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURE IN THE STEAM TABLE. BEANS AT 125.6F & 114.6F, COOKED CHICKEN AT 111.3F, 123.8F AND 103.6F.PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 SEE THE ABOVE VIOLATION #19 FOR CITATION.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • NOTED THE FOLLOWING TCS FOODS HELD AT IMPROPER COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURES IN THE COOKS LINE TWO DOOR COOLER. DICED TOMATOES AT 50.1F, PICO DE GALLO AT 48.3F, CHICKEN AT 48.2F AND BEEF AT 45.6F. ALL FOODS DISCARDED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 SEE THE ABOVE VIOLATION #19 FOR CITATION.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • COOKS LINE COOLER UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURE. COOLER TEMPERATURE NOTED AT 51.8F WITH FOOD SUCH AS DICED TOMATOES AT 50.1F. COOLER TAGGED HELD FOR INSPECTION AND MUST NOT USE UNTIL REPAIRED, MAINTAINS A TEMPERATURE OF 41F OR BELOW AND C.D.P.H CONTACTED FOR INSPECTION AND TAG REMOVAL. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • ALL PREP AREA WIPING CLOTHS MUST BE HELD IN A CONTAINER WITH A SANITIZING SOLUTION BETWEEN USE.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • ALL STORED FOOD ITEMS THROUGHOUT THE WALK-IN FREEZER MUST BE ELEVATED FROM THE FLOORS.
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • ALL STORED FOOD ITEMS THROUGHOUT THE WALK-IN FREEZER MUST BE ELEVATED FROM THE FLOORS.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • TORN RUBBER DOOR GASKET ON THE COOKS LINE TWO DOOR COOLER. MUST REPLACE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • INTERIOR METAL RACK SHELVING OF ALL THE COOKS LINE COOLERS WITH EXCESSIVE RUST AND PEELING PAINT. MUST REPLACE OR RESEAL.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • FLOORS SURROUNDING THE CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE WITH DIRT AND DEBRIS.----FLOOR DRAIN UNDER THE TWO COMPARTMENT PREP SINK WITH DIRT. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN ALL.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • NO PROOF OF ALLERGEN TRAINING OR CERTIFICATE FOR THE CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER. MUST PROVIDE.

When was Edgewater Mexican Cafe last inspected?

Edgewater Mexican Cafe has 10 inspections on record going back to August 16, 2018.

Edgewater Mexican Cafe vs Edgewater

Edgewater runs 64% clean across 997 tracked restaurants — 633 clean, 186 mid, 172 cooked.

Against the 997 spots Cooked tracks in Edgewater, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Edgewater

• ✓ Edgewater Mexican Cafe
  clean · August 16, 2018
• ✓ El Diamante Azul Restaurant
  cooked · September 23, 2022
• ✓! El Diamante Azul Restaurant
  mid · September 18, 2018
• ✓! Guy And The Goat
  cooked · August 16, 2018
• ✓! New Granville Food Mart
  cooked · September 14, 2018
• ✓ Blowfish Contemporary Sushi
  clean · October 15, 2019

See every restaurant inspection in Edgewater →

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 29, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.