Little Branch Cafe

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedFebruary 22, 2017
• address1251 S Prairie Ave, Chicago 60605

Is Little Branch Cafe clean?

Little Branch Cafe is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 22, 2017. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Little Branch Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 22, 2017, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • FOUND THE CUTTING BOARDS IN THE PREP AREAS WITH DEEP, DARK GROOVES AND STAINS. INSTRUCTED TO SAND OR REPLACE CUTTING BOARDS AND MAINTAIN SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACES.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • FOUND THE CUTTING BOARDS IN THE PREP AREAS WITH DEEP, DARK GROOVES AND STAINS. INSTRUCTED TO SAND OR REPLACE CUTTING BOARDS AND MAINTAIN SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACES.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • FOUND THE FOLLOWING IN NEED OF DETAIL CLEANING: -INTERIOR/EXTERIOR OF THE GRILL, DEEP FRYER AND ALL OF THE COOKING/HOLDING EQUIPMENT IN THE REAR PREPARATION AREA. -THE UPPER/LOWER SURFACES OF THE PREPARATION TABLES IN THE REAR PREPARATION AREA -THE INTERIOR/EXTERIOR OF THE REACH IN COOLERS AND FREEZERS IN THE FRONT AND REAR PREPARATION AREAS -THE EXTERIOR OF THE DISH WASHING MACHINE -THE SOAP DISPENSER IN THE REAR PREPARATION AREA -THE INTERIOR OF THE MOP SINK -THE STORAGE RACKS THROUGH OUT. ABOVE ITEMS WITH THICK ACCUMULATION OF GREASE, FOOD, DIRT AND DEBRIS. MUST MAINTAIN CLEAN SURFACES.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • FOUND THE INTERIOR OF ALL FLOOR DRAINS AND FLOORS UNDER/AROUND THE DISH MACHINE, COOLERS/FREEZERS, COOKING EQUIPMENT, THE STORAGE RACKS AND AROUND THE MOP SINK IN THE FRONT AND REAR PREPARATION AREAS WITH GREASE SPILLS, FOOD, DIRT AND OTHER EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN FLOOR DRAINS AND FLOORS.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • FOUND THE INTERIOR OF ALL FLOOR DRAINS AND FLOORS UNDER/AROUND THE DISH MACHINE, COOLERS/FREEZERS, COOKING EQUIPMENT, THE STORAGE RACKS AND AROUND THE MOP SINK IN THE FRONT AND REAR PREPARATION AREAS WITH GREASE SPILLS, FOOD, DIRT AND OTHER EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN FLOOR DRAINS AND FLOORS.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • FOUND THE VENTILATION, THE WALLS BEHIND THE COOKING EQUIPMENT, AROUND ALL OF THE SINKS, COOLERS/FREEZERS IN THE FRONT AND REAR PREPARATION AREAS AND THE VENTS IN THE DINING AREA IN NEED OF DETAIL CLEANING. ALL HAVE FOOD/LIQUID (OF SOME SORT) SPLATTER, DIRT, DUST AND GREASE IN EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN ALL.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • FOUND THE VENTILATION, THE WALLS BEHIND THE COOKING EQUIPMENT, AROUND ALL OF THE SINKS, COOLERS/FREEZERS IN THE FRONT AND REAR PREPARATION AREAS AND THE VENTS IN THE DINING AREA IN NEED OF DETAIL CLEANING. ALL HAVE FOOD/LIQUID (OF SOME SORT) SPLATTER, DIRT, DUST AND GREASE IN EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN ALL.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Ventilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • FOUND A LEAK AT THE BASE OF THE HOT WATER KNOB ON THE REAR HAND WASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO FIX AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • FOUND THE MOP STORED INSIDE THE MOP BUCKET OF DIRTY WATER. INSTRUCTED TO HANG ALL MOPS UP TO DRY WHEN NOT IN USE. FOUND CLUTTER IN THE FRONT PREP AREA BEHIND THE COUNTER, MUST ELIMINATE CLUTTER AND ORGANIZE AREA. MAINTAIN ALL.

When was Little Branch Cafe last inspected?

Little Branch Cafe has 5 inspections on record going back to May 27, 2015.

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 30% of them.

Other spots in Near South Side

• ✓! First Merit Pavilion
  mid · June 22, 2015
• ✓ Nara
  clean · December 27, 2019
• ✓ Nara
  clean · August 17, 2015
• ✓ Liang's Kitchen
  clean · February 8, 2016
• ✓! Belly Up Smokehouse And Saloon
  mid · March 15, 2017
• ✓ Belly Up Smokehouse And Saloon
  clean · December 29, 2015

See every restaurant inspection 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 February 22, 2017. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.