Esme

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedFebruary 26, 2026
• address2200-2204 N Clark, Chicago 60614

Is Esme clean?

Esme is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 26, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Esme?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 26, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • SOME UPPER PORTIONS OF THE ICE MACHINE IN NEED OF CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 📄consumer advisory missing
  Consumer Advisory Provided For Raw/Undercooked Food • THE CONSUMER ADVISORY ON THE MENU IS NOT PRESENTED TO THE CUSTOMER UNTIL AFTER THE MEAL IS CONSUMED. CUSTOMERS ARE SERVED MEALS AT THE CHEFS CHOICE THEN PRESENTED WITH THE LIST OF FOODS THEY CONSUMED AFTER CONSUMPTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A CONSUMER ADVISORY BEFORE ANIMAL ORIGIN FOODS THAT MAY BE RAW OR UNDERCOOKED ARE CONSUMED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • ALL CLEAN STORED STEM WARE MUST BE STORED INVERTED OR COVERED/PROTECTED DURING STORAGE TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.----CLEAN POTS/PANS MUST NOT BE STORED HANGING DIRECTLY ABOVE THE WASHBASIN OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • ALL CLEAN STORED STEM WARE MUST BE STORED INVERTED OR COVERED/PROTECTED DURING STORAGE TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.----CLEAN POTS/PANS MUST NOT BE STORED HANGING DIRECTLY ABOVE THE WASHBASIN OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • ALL STORED ITEMS IN THE WEST BASEMENT NEXT TO THE LARGE BOX FREEZER AND THE FAR EAST BASEMENT MUST BE ELEVATED AND ORGANIZED.
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • ALL STORED ITEMS IN THE WEST BASEMENT NEXT TO THE LARGE BOX FREEZER AND THE FAR EAST BASEMENT MUST BE ELEVATED AND ORGANIZED.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • ALL UNNECESSARY ITEMS STORED THROUGHOUT THE FAR EAST BASEMENT MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE PREMISES AND ALL OTHER ITEMS MUST BE STORED ORGANIZED AND ELEVATED TO PREVENT PEST HARBORING. • MISSING CEILING TILES ABOVE THE UTILITY MOP SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE.-----NOTED HOLES IN THE CEILING OF THE BASEMENT STORAGE ROOM AT THE LARGE BOX FREEZER AND IN THE DRY FOOD STORAGE EAST BASEMENT AT THE SMALL BOX FREEZER. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL TO BE SMOOTH AND CLEANABLE.

When was Esme last inspected?

Esme has 11 inspections on record going back to December 4, 2020.

Esme vs Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park runs 67% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 1,089 clean, 360 mid, 187 cooked.

Against the 1,649 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Park, this one comes out cleaner than 24% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Park

• ✓ Esme
  clean · July 15, 2021
• ✓ Kala Modern Greek
  clean · April 9, 2026
• ✓ Halligan Bar
  clean · November 16, 2020
• ✓! Frank's
  mid · May 10, 2021
• ✓ Hook And Ladder Bar
  clean · November 16, 2020
• ✓ Salvatore's Restaurant
  clean · November 20, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Lincoln Park →

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 February 26, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.