Cooked?
Little Branch Cafe
- resultFail
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMay 29, 2012
- address1251 S Praire Ave, Chicago 60605
Is Little Branch Cafe clean?
Little Branch Cafe is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 29, 2012. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.
What did inspectors find at Little Branch Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 29, 2012, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedFood Protected During Storage, Preparation, Display, Service And Transportation • OBSERVED INTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE WITH A BLACK SUBSTANCE BUILD UP. ICE IS NOT PROTECTED DURING STORAGE. INTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE MUST BE CLEANED AND SANITIZED PRIOR TO USAGE. ICE MACHINE HAS BEEN TAGGED.
- ⚠️Outside Garbage Waste Grease And Storage Area; Clean, Rodent Proof, All Containers Covered • OBSERVED OUTSIDE GARBAGE AREA WHICH IS SHARED WITH CONDO BLDG WITH OVERFLOWING GARBAGE CONTAINERS NOT MAINTAINED. OUTSIDE GARBAGE AREA MUST BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES. CITATION ISSUED.Outside Garbage Waste Grease And Storage Area; Clean, Rodent Proof, All Containers Covered • OBSERVED OUTSIDE GARBAGE AREA WHICH IS SHARED WITH CONDO BLDG WITH OVERFLOWING GARBAGE CONTAINERS NOT MAINTAINED. OUTSIDE GARBAGE AREA MUST BE MAINTAINED AT ALL TIMES. CITATION ISSUED.
- ⚠️Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • MUST PROPERLY STORE SAMPLE SPOONS FOR GELATO WITH THE HANDLES UP TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION UNTIL USED.Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • MUST PROPERLY STORE SAMPLE SPOONS FOR GELATO WITH THE HANDLES UP TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION UNTIL USED.
- 🪳pests in the houseVentilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • MUST PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL SINK STOPPER AT THE 3COMP SINK. MUST INSTALL A SPLASH GUARD AT THE REAR EXPOSED SINK NEXT TO THE PREP SINK. MUST REPAINT RUSTY GREASE TRAP BOX UNDER 3COMP SINK.MUST PROVIDE SANITIZING STRIPS FOR DISHWASHING MACHINE AT REAR PREP AREA.
- 🧻grimy wiping clothsPremises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • MUST DECLUTTER AND BETTER ORGANIZE BAR AREA.REMOVE UNNECESSARY ARTICLES SUCH AS EXCESS PAPER AND OFFICE SUPPLIES FROM THE BACK OF THE BAR SITTING AREA.ALL ITEMS MUST BE 6 INCHES OFF THE FLOOR.
When was Little Branch Cafe last inspected?
Little Branch Cafe has 6 inspections on record going back to September 16, 2010.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| September 17, 2025 | closed by the city | |
| May 30, 2012 | closed by the city | |
| May 29, 2012 | Fail | |
| October 11, 2011 | Pass | |
| September 23, 2010 | Pass | |
| September 16, 2010 | Fail |
Little Branch Cafe vs Near South Side
Near South Side runs 73% clean across 470 tracked restaurants — 338 clean, 92 mid, 36 cooked.
Against the 470 spots Cooked tracks in Near South Side, this one comes out cleaner than 6% of them.
Other spots in Near South 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 May 29, 2012. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.