Irene's Bagels

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedNovember 19, 2025
• address1942 W Montrose Ave, Chicago 60613

Is Irene's Bagels clean?

Irene's Bagels is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on November 19, 2025. 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 Irene's Bagels?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on November 19, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • OBSERVED NO WRITTEN EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON PREMISES. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SIGNED EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010 NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OUTER OPENINGS NOT PROTECTED. OBSERVED FRON ENTRANCE DOOR WITH 1/2 INCH OPENING ON BOTTOM DOOR. MUST MAKE DOOR TIGHT FITTING TO PREVENT RODENT ENTRY.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED RAW WOODEN IN THE FRONT COUNTER COFFEE FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST PAINT, SEAL TO BE SMOOTH CLEANABLE AND ABSORBENT.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • MUST REPAIR WALL BASEBOARD INSIDE THE UNISEX EMPLOYEE WASHROOM AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED UNOPERABLE VENTILATION IN THE UNISEX EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. MUST REPAIR VENTILATION AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED UNOPERABLE VENTILATION IN THE UNISEX EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. MUST REPAIR VENTILATION AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.

When was Irene's Bagels last inspected?

Irene's Bagels has 1 inspection on record going back to November 19, 2025.

Irene's Bagels vs North Center

North Center runs 68% clean across 976 tracked restaurants — 657 clean, 151 mid, 163 cooked.

Against the 976 spots Cooked tracks in North Center, this one comes out cleaner than 23% of them.

Other spots in North Center

• ✓ Burning Bush Brewery
  clean · May 7, 2026
• ✓ Burning Bush Brewery
  clean · May 7, 2026
• ✓ Burning Bush Brewery
  clean · May 7, 2026
• ✓ Burning Bush Brewery
  clean · May 7, 2026
• ✓ Phobo Sushi
  clean · December 19, 2025
• ? Lakeview Restaurant
  cooked · December 2, 2014

See every restaurant inspection in North Center →

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.