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Harold's Chicken
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedMay 19, 2026
- address1505 W Madison St, Chicago 60607
Is Harold's Chicken clean?
Harold's Chicken is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 19, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Harold's Chicken?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 19, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 📋certified manager paperwork missingcriticalCity Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED MANAGER ON SITE WHILE HANDLING TCS FOODS (CHICKEN, FISH), NOR CERTIFICATE POSTED. INSTD TO HAVE CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED MANAGER ON SITE AT ALL TIMES WITH CERTIFICATE POSTED. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-012 PRIORITY FOUNDATION
- ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • MULTI USE FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS (LARGE GREY TUBS) IMPROPERLY STORED ON CARBDBOARD LINED GREASE TRAP. INSTD TO REMOVE AND STORE IN PROPER LOCATION TO PREVENT POSSIBLE CONTAMINATIONUtensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • MULTI USE FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS (LARGE GREY TUBS) IMPROPERLY STORED ON CARBDBOARD LINED GREASE TRAP. INSTD TO REMOVE AND STORE IN PROPER LOCATION TO PREVENT POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • CARDOBOARD LINING ON GREASE TRAP, PREP TABLES AND BOTTOM SHELVES OF PREP TABLES. RUSTY SURFACE ON EXTERIOR OF GREASE TRAP. INSTD TO REMOVE CARBDBOARD, ELIMINATE RUST AND MAINTAIN SAID SURFACES SMOOTH, EVEN, AND EASILY CLEANABLE
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • CARDBOARD LINING ON WALK IN COOLER AND FREEZER FLOORS. INSTD TO REMOVE CARDBOARD LINING AND MAINTAIN FLOOR SMOOTH, EVEN, AND EASILY CLEANABLE
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • HOOD FILTERS WITH EXCESSIVE GREASE AND DEBRIS ACCUMULATION. INSTD TO CLEAN AND MAINTAINAdequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • HOOD FILTERS WITH EXCESSIVE GREASE AND DEBRIS ACCUMULATION. INSTD TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
When was Harold's Chicken last inspected?
Harold's Chicken has 8 inspections on record going back to June 6, 2024.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| December 16, 2025 | Pass | |
| December 9, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 24, 2025 | Pass | |
| October 23, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 16, 2025 | Fail | |
| December 20, 2024 | Pass | |
| June 6, 2024 | — |
Harold's Chicken vs Near West Side
Near West Side runs 50% clean across 2,033 tracked restaurants — 1,019 clean, 227 mid, 774 cooked.
Against the 2,033 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 40% of them.
Other spots in Near West 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 May 19, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.