Mama Africa Food Store

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMay 9, 2025
• address1345 W Morse Ave, Chicago 60626
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Mama Africa Food Store clean?

Mama Africa Food Store is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 9, 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 Mama Africa Food Store?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 9, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • OBSERVED NO WRITTEN PROCEDURES OR SUPPLIES FOR RESPONDING TO VOMITING OR DIARRHEAL EVENTS. SUPPLIES MUST INCLUDE ADEQUATE SANITIZER THAT ELIMINATES NOROVIRUS. INSTRUCTED FACILITY TO PROVIDE CLEAN UP POLICY AND SUPPLIES TO PROPERLY HANDLE BODILY FLUID SPILLS ON SITE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-005. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED A 1/4" GAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE REAR EXIT DOOR. ALSO OBSERVED A 1/4TH" GAP ALONG SIDE OF FRONT DOOR. MUST PROVIDE A TIGHT-FITTING SEAL AT ALL OUTER OPENINGS TO PREVENT THE ENTRY OF PESTS.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED RAW WOOD SURFACES BEHIND THE FRONT COUNTER AREA. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL OR PAINT TO PROVIDE A SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED NO BACKFLOW PREVENTER DEVICE ON THE UTILITY SINK IN BOILER ROOM. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL TO ENSURE DEVICE CAN BE LOCATED, SERVICED, AND MAINTAINED.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED TOILET ROOM DOOR TO NOT BE SELF CLOSING. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A SELF CLOSING DEVICE AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED TOILET ROOM DOOR TO NOT BE SELF CLOSING. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A SELF CLOSING DEVICE AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES
• ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED INTERIOR WITH EXCESS CLUTTER AND FURNITURE AND EXTERIOR AREA FOR REFUSE, RECYCLABLES, OR RETURNABLES LITTERED WITH TRASH AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS (EX. CRATES & FURNITURE). INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE AND MAINTAIN A MENTIONED AREAS SHALL BE MAINTAINED FREE OF UNNECESSARY ITEMS.
  Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED INTERIOR WITH EXCESS CLUTTER AND FURNITURE AND EXTERIOR AREA FOR REFUSE, RECYCLABLES, OR RETURNABLES LITTERED WITH TRASH AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS (EX. CRATES & FURNITURE). INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE AND MAINTAIN A MENTIONED AREAS SHALL BE MAINTAINED FREE OF UNNECESSARY ITEMS.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED HOLES IN WALL ABOVE PIPES OF WATER BOILER, ON WALL ADJACENT TO UTILITY SINK NEAR BAIT STATION, IN RESTROOM AROUND PIPES BELOW HANDWASHING SINK.INSTRUCTED TO SEAL AND MAINTAIN TO PREVENT PEST HARDORAGE. • NOTED FLOORS THROUGHOUT FACILITY. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE THAT FLOORS EXCEPT SHALL BE FINISHED AND SEALED TO PROVIDE A SMOOTH, NONABSORBENT AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL UNFINISHED FLOORS.

When was Mama Africa Food Store last inspected?

Mama Africa Food Store has 2 inspections on record going back to April 24, 2025.

Mama Africa Food Store vs Rogers Park

Rogers Park runs 62% clean across 731 tracked restaurants — 451 clean, 128 mid, 148 cooked.

Against the 731 spots Cooked tracks in Rogers Park, this one comes out cleaner than 27% of them.

Other spots in Rogers Park

• ✓ Mica's Mexican Restaurant
  clean · May 2, 2025
• ✓ Fit Sips
  clean · June 9, 2025
• ✓ Smack Dab
  clean · August 26, 2025
• ✓ Taco Pros
  clean · August 7, 2025
• ✓ La Puerta Negra Cantina Grill
  clean · July 25, 2025
• ✓ La Puerta Negra Cantina Grill
  clean · July 25, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Rogers 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 May 9, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.