Magnolia Cafe

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedSeptember 22, 2023
• address2221 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60614

Is Magnolia Cafe clean?

Magnolia Cafe is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on September 22, 2023. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.

What did inspectors find at Magnolia Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 22, 2023, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • INTERIOR OF THE ICE MACHINE IS IN NEED OF CLEANING. THE MACHINE IS NOT ON/OPERATING AT THIS TIME.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • NOTED AN OPEN GAP UNDER THE FRONT ENTRANCE/EXIT DOOR DUE TO A BROKEN FLOOR TILE. MUST SEAL TO BE TIGHT FITTING.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • THE INTERIOR OF THE WALK-IN COOLER METAL DOOR WAS NOTED WITH EXCESSIVE RUST. MUST REMOVE RUST, RESEAL, OR REPAINT TO BE SMOOTH AND CLEANABLE.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • MUST PROVIDE A VISIBLE BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE ON THE ICE MACHINE AND ANY OTHER WATER LINE-FED EQUIPMENT, SUCH AS CAPPUCCINO MACHINES.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • POOLING WATER ON SOME AREAS OF THE BASEMENT FLOOR. MUST REMOVE AND MAINTAIN DRY FLOOR. • ALL UNNECESSARY ITEMS STORED THROUGHOUT THE BASEMENT MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE PREMISES TO PREVENT PEST HARBORING, AND ALL OTHER NEEDED ITEMS MUST BE STORED ELEVATED AND ORGANIZED.

When was Magnolia Cafe last inspected?

Magnolia Cafe has 3 inspections on record going back to July 11, 2023.

Magnolia Cafe vs Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park runs 41% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 673 clean, 174 mid, 789 cooked.

Against the 1,649 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Park, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Park

• ✓ 7-Eleven
  clean · October 22, 2025
• ✓ 7-Eleven
  clean · July 27, 2023
• ✓! D.P. Dough
  mid · May 30, 2025
• ✓ Deep Purpl
  clean · June 24, 2026
• ✓ Kibbitznest Books & Brews
  clean · September 26, 2023
• ✓ Branko's Restaurant
  cooked · January 31, 2024

See every restaurant inspection in Lincoln Park →

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 22, 2023. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.