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Lou Malnatis Pizzeria
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedSeptember 24, 2025
- address1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago 60622
Is Lou Malnatis Pizzeria clean?
Lou Malnatis Pizzeria is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on September 24, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Lou Malnatis Pizzeria?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 24, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcriticalManagement, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • OBSERVED NO SIGNED EMPLOYEES HEALTH POLICIES MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.(PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-010)(CITATION ISSUED)
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE WORN CUTTING BOARD AT TOPSIDE OF SMALL PREP COOLER. • MUST ELIMINATE CRATES USED FOR FOOD STORAGE IN WALK IN COOLER,WALK IN FREEZER AND STORAGE AREAS THROUGHOUT AND PROVIDE ADEQUATE SHELVING UNITS.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • MUST CLEAN FOOD DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM WALK IN COOLER SHELVING UNITS.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE LEAKY STOPPER HANDLE ON MIDDLE BASIN OF 3- COMPARTMENT SINK.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM FLOOR UNDER,AROUND,ALONG WALL BASES IN PREP AREA AND STORAGE AREAS. • MUST ELEVATE,REMOVE AND ORGANIZE ARTICLES OFF OF FLOOR AND AWAY FROM WALLS IN BASEMENT.
When was Lou Malnatis Pizzeria last inspected?
Lou Malnatis Pizzeria has 16 inspections on record going back to May 17, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2025 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| September 10, 2025 | — | |
| August 2, 2024 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| September 11, 2023 | Pass | |
| September 9, 2020 | closed by the city | |
| April 4, 2019 | Pass | |
| January 8, 2019 | — | |
| May 24, 2018 | Pass | |
| September 1, 2017 | Pass | |
| September 6, 2016 | Pass | |
| September 1, 2016 | — | |
| January 16, 2015 | Pass |
Lou Malnatis Pizzeria vs West Town
West Town runs 46% clean across 2,068 tracked restaurants — 955 clean, 252 mid, 850 cooked.
Against the 2,068 spots Cooked tracks in West Town, this one comes out cleaner than 44% of them.
Other spots in West Town
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 September 24, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.