Cooked?
Iguana Cafe
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedJuly 14, 2026
- address517-519 N Halsted St, Chicago 60642
Is Iguana Cafe clean?
Iguana Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 14, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Iguana Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 14, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBERVED THE FOLLOWING TCS FOODS @ IMPROPER TEMPERATURES DURING TIME OF INSPECTION. APPROXIMATELY 8 LBS PASTA NOODLE, 10 LBS PESTO, 3 LBS MUSHROOM, 1 LB LEAFY GREENS. NOTED TEMPERATURES OF SAID FOOD RANGED BETWEEN 49-53F. INSTRUCTED TO HOLD ALL COLD TCS FOODS @41F AND BELOW AND MAINTAIN. PRIORITY VIOLATION. #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED. PIC VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENTURED FOOD ITEMS AT THIS TIME.
- 🧫food prep surfaces dirtyProper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED PREP COOLER WITH COLD HOLD ATTACHED LOCATED IN PREP AREA AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES DURING TIME OF INSPECTION (50F) WHILE STORING TCS FOODS (PASTA NOODLES, MUSHROOM, PESTO). INSTRUCTED TO DISCONTINUE USE OF COOLER, REPAIR AND MAINTAIN TEMPERATURE OF 41F AND BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION. #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED. UNIT TAGGED AND HELD FOR INSPECTION.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED PREP TABLE SHELVING IN FRONT PREP AREA AS WELL AS EQUIPMENT STORED UNDER SHELF IN BEVERAGE STATION IN NEED OF CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE FOOD DEBRIS CLEAN AND SANITIZE.
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED VENTS ABOVE PREP TABLES WITH ACCUMULATED DIRT AND DUST DEBRIS IN PREP. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE • OBSERVED DIM LIGHTING IN FRONT PREP AND HALLWAY LEADING TO BEVERAGE STATION/DISHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO INCREASE LIGHTING AND MAINTAIN.Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED VENTS ABOVE PREP TABLES WITH ACCUMULATED DIRT AND DUST DEBRIS IN PREP. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE • OBSERVED DIM LIGHTING IN FRONT PREP AND HALLWAY LEADING TO BEVERAGE STATION/DISHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO INCREASE LIGHTING AND MAINTAIN.
When was Iguana Cafe last inspected?
Iguana Cafe has 19 inspections on record going back to May 20, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| July 14, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| September 25, 2025 | Pass | |
| August 19, 2025 | Pass | |
| August 12, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 25, 2024 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| December 7, 2023 | Pass | |
| November 30, 2023 | Fail | |
| April 29, 2022 | Pass | |
| June 24, 2019 | Pass | |
| July 27, 2018 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| October 18, 2017 | Pass | |
| May 25, 2016 | Pass |
Iguana Cafe vs Near West Side
Near West Side runs 72% clean across 2,033 tracked restaurants — 1,463 clean, 406 mid, 151 cooked.
Against the 2,033 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 44% 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 July 14, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.