Is/Was Brewing

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJune 4, 2024
• address5121 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago 60640
• cuisineLiquor

Is Is/Was Brewing clean?

Is/Was Brewing is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 4, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Is/Was Brewing?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 4, 2024, 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 • FOUND NO EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY/TRAINING ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SIGNED EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010
• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • FOUND NO PROCEDURE/PLAN FOR RESPONDING TO VOMITING AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN REQUIRED PROCEDURE/PLAN AND APPROPRIATE SUPPLIES OR KIT. (NECESSARY ITEMS AT A MINIMUM: GLOVES, FACE MASKS, DISPOSABLE MOPS AND APPROPRIATE SANITIZER/SPRAY THAT KILLS NOROVIRUS) PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT HANDSINK IN THE BAR AREA.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • BRICK WALL BEHIND DRAFT TOWER IN THE BAR AREA NEEDS TO BE FINISHED AND SEALED TO PROVIDE A SMOOTH, NONABSORBENT AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE. • OBSERVED MISSING FLOOR BASEBOARD IN THE BAR AREA AND IN REAR (EAST WING) ROOM. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL FLOOR BASEBOARD.

When was Is/Was Brewing last inspected?

Is/Was Brewing has 1 inspection on record going back to June 4, 2024.

Is/Was Brewing vs Lincoln Square

Lincoln Square runs 59% clean across 922 tracked restaurants — 536 clean, 152 mid, 228 cooked.

Against the 922 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Square, this one comes out cleaner than 25% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Square

• ✓ Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club
  clean · January 27, 2026
• ✓ Bryn Mawr Breakfast Club
  clean · June 13, 2024
• ✓ Mariano's
  clean · October 6, 2025
• ✓! Mariano's
  mid · September 5, 2024
• ✓! Kin Dee Thai
  mid · June 14, 2024
• ✓ Sen Thai & Ramen
  clean · February 23, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Lincoln Square →

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 June 4, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.