Kindling

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJune 29, 2026
• address202 S Franklin St, Chicago 60606

Is Kindling clean?

Kindling is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 29, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Kindling?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 29, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING HANDWASHING SINKS TO BE INACCESSIBLE: LEFT-HAND MAIN COOK LINE HANDWASHING SINK OBSTRUCTED BY SOILED EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS, LEFT-HAND REAR COOK LINE HANDWASHING SINK (NEAR UPRIGHT FREEZER) OBSTRUCTED BY STATIC EQUIPMENT STORAGE CABINET AND COOKING EQUIPMENT. INSTRUCTED TO RELOCATE ALL EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS FROM HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN ALL HANDWASHING SINKS UNOBSTRUCTED ACCESSIBLE FOR USE IN HANDWASHING AT ALL TIMES. PERSON-IN-CHARGE REMOVED ALL OBSTRUCTIONS FROM ALL LISTED HANDWASHING SINKS ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C) CITATION ISSUED. • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING HANDWASHING SINKS MISSING HAND SOAP: RIGHT-HAND MAIN COOK LINE AREA HANDWASHING SINK, BASEMENT STORAGE AREA HANDWASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE HAND SOAP OR OTHER APPROVED HANDWASHING CLEANSER TO ALL HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN AVAILABLE FOR USE IN HANDWASHING AT ALL TIMES. PERSON-IN-CHARGE PROVIDED HAND SOAP TO ALL LISTED HANDWASHING SINKS ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C) CITATION COMBINED WITH ABOVE VIOLATION.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY 40-50 SMALL FLYING INSECTS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF THE FACILITY: APPROXIMATELY 10 BENEATH EQUIPMENT IN THE 1ST FLOOR BAR AREA, APPROXIMATELY 10 IN THE REAR 1ST FLOOR WAREWASHING AREA, APPROXIMATELY IN THE 2ND FLOOR BAR PREPARATION AREA, APPROXIMATELY 20 IN THE MAIN KITCHEN AREA STAIRWELL. INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT PEST CONTROL FOR ABATEMENT OF SMALL FLYING INSECTS AND ELIMINATE ALL SMALL FLYING INSECT ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT FACILITY AND CLEAN AND SANITIZE AFFECTED AREA(S). PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-020(A) CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED DAMP WIPING CLOTHS LEFT OUT OF SANITIZER SOLUTION AT SEVERAL FOOD PREPARATION AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN WIPING CLOTHS USED FOR WIPING SPILLS DRY OR WIPING CLOTHS USED FOR WIPING EQUIPMENT SURFACES IN AN ADEQUATE SANITIZER SOLUTION AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED PLUMBING IN THE 2ND FLOOR UTILITY SINK CLOSET TO BE IN POOR REPAIR, SMALL CLEAN WATER LEAK. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE 2ND FLOOR UTILITY SINK CLOSET PLUMBING TO ELIMINATE LEAK AND MAINTAIN ALL PLUMBING FIXTURES IN GOOD REPAIR.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED FLOORS BENEATH EQUIPMENT IN THE REAR KITCHEN COOK LINE AREA AND WAREWASHING AREA TO BE SOILED WITH DRIED FOOD DEBRIS, GREASE SOIL, AND OTHER SOILS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOORS BENEATH EQUIPMENT AT ADEQUATE FREQUENCY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF DRIED FOOD DEBRIS, GREASE SOIL, AND OTHER SOILS AND MAINTAIN.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED PERSON-IN-CHARGE WITH CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER CERTIFICATE MISSING ALLERGEN AWARNESS TRAINING AND CERTIFICATE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ALL CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGERS WITH ADDITIONAL ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING AND MAINTAIN CERTIFICATE(S) ON-SITE AND AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTOR REVIEW AT ALL TIMES.

When was Kindling last inspected?

Kindling has 7 inspections on record going back to November 3, 2022.

Kindling vs Loop

Loop runs 44% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 1,566 clean, 332 mid, 1,687 cooked.

Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 46% of them.

Other spots in Loop

• ✓ Kindling
  clean · November 7, 2022
• ✓ The L Station
  clean · January 2, 2026
• ✓ The L Station
  clean · October 7, 2022
• ✓! Fare
  mid · October 20, 2025
• ✓ Jimmy John's
  cooked · December 2, 2025
• ✓ Smallcakes Cupcakery
  cooked · August 19, 2022

See every restaurant inspection in Loop →

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 29, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.