Cooked?
Hidden Fork Catering Kitchen
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMarch 17, 2025
- address455 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago 60654
Is Hidden Fork Catering Kitchen clean?
Hidden Fork Catering Kitchen is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on March 17, 2025. 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 Hidden Fork Catering Kitchen?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 17, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🪳pests in the houseInsects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED OPENINGS AT TOP AND RIGHT BASE OF REAR EXIT DOOR. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL ALL OUTER OPENINGS TO PREVENT PEST ENTRANCE.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED DAMAGED GASKET ON DOOR OF ONE DOOR COLD HOLDING UNIT NEXT TO CAMBROS AND COOLERS. OBSERVED DAMAGED GASKET ON CHEST FREEZER. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE DAMAGED GASKET ON ONE DOOR COLD HOLDING UNIT IN SAID AREA AND CHEST FREEZER.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED NO SERVICE SINK IN FACILITY. INSTRUCTED AT LEAST 1 SERVICE SINK OR CURBED CLEANING FACILITY EQUIPPED WITH A FLOOR DRAIN SHALL BE PROVIDED AND CONVENIENTLY LOCATED FOR THE CLEANING OF MOPS AND FOR THE DISPOSAL OF MOP WATER AND SIMILAR LIQUID WASTE.
- ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED BLACK BUILDUP ALONG BASE OF WALL AND FLOOR UNDERNEATH THREE COMPARTMENT SINK AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE GREASE TRAP. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN IN SAID AREAS AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED ICE MACHINE NOT IN USE. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE UNUSED ICE MACHINE SINCE IT IS NO LONGER NECESSARY TO THE OPERATION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT. • OBSERVED HOLES IN WALL BEHIND SHELF AND LOWER DOOR HINGE IN WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO SMOOTHLY REPAIR HOLES IN SAID AREA FOR EASE OF CLEANABILITY. OBSERVED DAMAGED FLOOR UNDERNEATH HANDWASHING SINK, STEP DOWN LEADING FROM DISHWASHING AREA AND IN FRONT OF PREP TABLE UNDERNEATH HOOD. INSTRUCTED TO SMOOTHLY REPAIR FLOOR IN SAID AREAS FOR EASE OF CLEANABILITY.
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • LIGHT OUT IN HOOD ABOVE PREP TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE NON WORKING LIGHT IN HOOD ABOVE PREP TABLE TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY IN SAID AREA. • OBSERVED DUST ON CEILING VENT COVER IN WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN CEILING VENT COVER IN WASHROOM AND MAINTAIN.Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • LIGHT OUT IN HOOD ABOVE PREP TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE NON WORKING LIGHT IN HOOD ABOVE PREP TABLE TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY IN SAID AREA. • OBSERVED DUST ON CEILING VENT COVER IN WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN CEILING VENT COVER IN WASHROOM AND MAINTAIN.
When was Hidden Fork Catering Kitchen last inspected?
Hidden Fork Catering Kitchen has 2 inspections on record going back to March 17, 2025.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 24, 2026 | closed by the city | |
| March 17, 2025 | Pass |
Hidden Fork Catering Kitchen 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 0% 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 March 17, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.