Cooked?
Harlem Cafe
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations2
- last inspectedAugust 25, 2021
- address2723 N Harlem Ave, Chicago 60707
Is Harlem Cafe clean?
Harlem Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on August 25, 2021. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Harlem Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 25, 2021, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcriticalManagement, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • THE PERSON IN CHARGE UNABLE TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY. INSTRUCTED TO HAVE A SIGNED EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON PREMISES FOR EACH EMPLOYEE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010.
- 🤒staff working while sickcriticalProcedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • THE PERSON IN CHARGE UNABLE TO PROVIDE VOMIT KIT AND PROCEDURE FOR EMPLOYEES TO FOLLOW WHEN RESPONDING TO VOMIT AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE VOMIT KIT AND PROCEDURE WITH ALL THE NECESSARY ITEMS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005
- 🌡️thermometers missingThermometers Provided & Accurate • MUST PROVIDE A VISIBLE AND WORKING THERMOMETER INSIDE 1-DOOR REFRIGERATOR LOCATED IN REAR STORAGE AREA WHERE ICE MACHINE IS LOCATED.
- ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLES PROVIDED INSIDE WOMEN'S WASHROOM. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLES PROVIDED INSIDE WOMEN'S WASHROOM. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED DIRT AND DEBRIS ON FLOOR BEHIND ICE MACHINE AND ALONG WALLS IN REAR STORAGE ROOM.MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS IN REAR STORAGE ROOM WHERE ICE MACHINE IS LOCATED. MUST REMOVE CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS TO PREVENT PEST HARBORAGE. • MUST MAKE CEILING IN FRONT COFFEE AREA SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACES.
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • MUST PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING IN REAR STORAGE ROOM WHERE ICE MACHINE IS LOCATED. • INSTRUCTED RO REPLACE ALL BURN OUT BULBS IN REAR DINING AREA AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE LIGHTING.Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • MUST PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING IN REAR STORAGE ROOM WHERE ICE MACHINE IS LOCATED. • INSTRUCTED RO REPLACE ALL BURN OUT BULBS IN REAR DINING AREA AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE LIGHTING.
When was Harlem Cafe last inspected?
Harlem Cafe has 2 inspections on record going back to August 25, 2021.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| August 26, 2025 | — | |
| August 25, 2021 | Pass w/ Conditions |
Harlem Cafe vs Montclare
Montclare runs 63% clean across 351 tracked restaurants — 220 clean, 63 mid, 65 cooked.
Against the 351 spots Cooked tracks in Montclare, this one comes out cleaner than 20% of them.
Other spots in Montclare
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 August 25, 2021. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.