Cooked?
Essence Of India
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedNovember 19, 2025
- address4601 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60625
Is Essence Of India clean?
Essence Of India is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on November 19, 2025. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Essence Of India?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on November 19, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🏷️food improperly labeledFood Properly Labeled; Original Container • ALL BULK FOOD CONTAINERS IN THE DRY FOOD STORAGE AND BULK SPICES ON THE COOKS LINE NOT STORED IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER MUST BE LABELED WITH THE PRODUCT COMMON NAME.
- ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST PROVIDE A SPLASH GUARD ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE KITCHEN HAND WASHING SINK BETWEEN THE SINK AND STORED DISHES/SPICES.Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST PROVIDE A SPLASH GUARD ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE KITCHEN HAND WASHING SINK BETWEEN THE SINK AND STORED DISHES/SPICES.
- ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • NOTED ALL OF THE KITCHEN STAFF WITHOUT BEARD RESTRAINTS. MUST PROVIDE AT ALL TIMES.Personal Cleanliness • NOTED ALL OF THE KITCHEN STAFF WITHOUT BEARD RESTRAINTS. MUST PROVIDE AT ALL TIMES.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • MUST NOT USE TINFOIL AS LINER INSIDE THE COOKS LINE SMALL COOLER OR CLOTH TOWELS AS LINER ON THE TOP OF THE SAME COOLER. MUST BE SMOOTH AND CLEANABLE SURFACE.----NOTED INTERIOR OF THE COOKS LINE COOLER DIRTY WITH FOOD SPILLAGE AND DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • NOTED EXTREMELY DIRTY AND DAMAGED PLASTIC SPICE CONTAINERS ON TOP SHELVING ON THE COOKS LINE. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • MUST NOT USE CARDBOARD AS MATTING FOR FLOORS. MUST NOT USE CLOTH CARPETING MATS IN THE KITCHEN OR DISH AREAS OF THE KITCHEN. • ALL UNNECESSARY ITEMS STORED THROUGHOUT THE BASEMENT MUST BE REMOVED TO PREVENT PEST HARBORING AND ALL OTHER NEEDED ITEMS FOR THE BUSINESS MUST BE STORED ELEVATED AND ORGANIZED.
- ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NOTED EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE VALID FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES FOR ALL REQUIRED EMPLOYEES.All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NOTED EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE VALID FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES FOR ALL REQUIRED EMPLOYEES.
When was Essence Of India last inspected?
Essence Of India has 18 inspections on record going back to August 15, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| November 19, 2025 | Pass | |
| November 18, 2025 | — | |
| May 6, 2024 | Pass | |
| November 27, 2023 | Pass | |
| November 14, 2023 | — | |
| October 7, 2022 | Pass | |
| August 30, 2021 | Pass | |
| March 6, 2020 | Pass | |
| February 28, 2020 | Fail | |
| May 20, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| November 30, 2018 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 17, 2018 | Pass |
Essence Of India vs Lincoln Square
Lincoln Square runs 59% clean across 922 tracked restaurants — 536 clean, 152 mid, 228 cooked.
Against the 922 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Square, this one comes out cleaner than 44% of them.
Other spots in Lincoln Square
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 November 19, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.