Lea French Cafe

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedMarch 30, 2026
• address20 N Michigan Ave, Chicago 60602

Is Lea French Cafe clean?

Lea French Cafe is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on March 30, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Lea French Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 30, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • 3-302.12 : MUST LABEL FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WHEN FOOD IS NOT IN ORIGINAL PACKAGE (BULK FOOD CONTAINER,ETC)BREAD PREP AREA.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • 3-307.11 : MUST PROVIDE A SPLASH GUARD AT 1- COMPARTMENT SINK NEXT TO PREP TABLE TO PREVENT CROSS CONTAMINATION.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • 3-307.11 : MUST PROVIDE A SPLASH GUARD AT 1- COMPARTMENT SINK NEXT TO PREP TABLE TO PREVENT CROSS CONTAMINATION.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • 3-304.12 : MUST REMOVE SCOOPS FROM BULK FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS IN BREAD PREP AREA TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • 3-304.12 : MUST REMOVE SCOOPS FROM BULK FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS IN BREAD PREP AREA TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • 4-903.11 (A;B;D) : MUST INVERT MULTI-USE UTENSILS ON STORAGE SHELVES.
  Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • 4-903.11 (A;B;D) : MUST INVERT MULTI-USE UTENSILS ON STORAGE SHELVES.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • 4-501.12 : MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE WORN AND DEEP GROOVES ON CUTTING BOARDS TO BE IN GOOD REPAIR.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • : 4-601.11(C) : MUST CLEAN FOOD DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM PREP TABLES,EXTERIOR OF FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS,MEAT SLICER,MICROWAVE,DISH RACKS,WALK IN COOLER- SHELVING UNITS AND COMPRESSOR UNIT.DELIME-DISH MACHINE.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • 6-201.11 : MUST CLEAN EXCESSIVE FOOD SPLATTER FROM UPPER WALLS AND CEILING IN REAR PREP AREA.MUST REMOVE BLACK CAULKING BUILD UP ON WALL ABOVE DISH MACHINE. • 6-201.13 : MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE WALK IN COOLER FLOORING IN POOR REPAIR. • 6-501.13 : MUST CLEAN FOOD DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM FLOOR UNDER,AROUND,ALONG WALL BASES THROUGHOUT AND FLOOR DRAINS INCLUDING WALK IN COOLER.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • 6-202.11 : MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE CRACKED LIGHT SHIELD IN DISH WASHING AREA.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • 6-202.11 : MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE CRACKED LIGHT SHIELD IN DISH WASHING AREA.

When was Lea French Cafe last inspected?

Lea French Cafe has 5 inspections on record going back to May 6, 2025.

Lea French Cafe 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 59% of them.

Other spots in Loop

• ✓ Lea French Cafe
  clean · May 6, 2025
• ✓ Sushi Plus Sushi Rotary Bar
  clean · September 16, 2025
• ✓ Sushi Plus Sushi Rotary Bar
  clean · September 16, 2025
• ✓ Ayayay
  clean · January 30, 2025
• ✓ Ayayay
  clean · January 30, 2025
• ✓ Momento Cantina
  clean · May 21, 2026

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 March 30, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.