Maria's Supermarket

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMay 16, 2011
• address1748 W 21St St, Chicago 60608
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Maria's Supermarket clean?

Maria's Supermarket is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 16, 2011. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Maria's Supermarket?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 16, 2011, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Sewage And Waste Water Disposal, No Back Siphonage, Cross Connection And/Or Back Flow • In food establishments, there shall be adequate sewage and waste water disposal facilities that comply with all the requirements of the plumbing section of the Municipal Code of Chicago. FOUND IN THE BASEMENT A PIPE ON THE FLOOR GOING INTO THE FLOOR DRAIN FROM THE LARGE TOILET PIPE ON THE WEST WALL. RAW SEWAGE ALL AROUND IT MORE COMES OUT FROM THE PIPE ON THE FLOOR EVERY TIME SOME ONE FROM THE ABOVE STORE OR THE THREE APARTMENTS ABOVE FLUSHES THE TOILETS. HAS A FOUL IN THE BASEMENT AND IN THE TOILET ROOM 1ST FLOOR. INSTRUCTED TO PEPAIR SAME. CRITICAL VIOLATION.
• ☠️toxic items stored near food
  No Evidence Of Rodent Or Insect Outer Openings Protected/Rodent Proofed, A Written Log Shall Be Maintained Available To The Inspectors • All necessary control measures shall be used to effectively minimize or eliminate the presence of rodents, roaches, and other vermin and insects on the premises of all food establishments, in food-transporting vehicles, and in vending machines. FOUND 80 - 100 RAT DROPPINGS THROUGHOUT THE BASEMENT. THE BASEMENT DOOR AND THE 1ST FLOOR DOORS HAS ONE INCH GAPS AROUND THE DOORS NOT TIGHT FITTING OR RODENT PROOFED. INSTRUCTED TO CALL YOUR LICENSED PEST COMTROL TECH TO COME HERE AND SERVICE THIS ESTABLISHMENT. THE FRONT STORE WINDOWS NOT THGHT FITTING HAS A ONE INCH GAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOWS NOT RODENT PROOFED. INSTRUCTED TO MAKE THE DOORS AND WINDOWS TIGHT FITTING AND RODENT PROOFED. SERIOUS VIOLATION.
• ⚠️Outside Garbage Waste Grease And Storage Area; Clean, Rodent Proof, All Containers Covered • The area outside of the establishment used for the storage of garbage shall be clean at all times and shall not constitute a nuisance. NO OUT SIDE GARBAGE DUMPSTER ON SITE FROM A WASTE COMPANY. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDW. NOTE THE RECIEPT IS FROM JAN THIS YEAR. ALSO CLEAN THE YARD. SERIOUS VIOLATION.
  Outside Garbage Waste Grease And Storage Area; Clean, Rodent Proof, All Containers Covered • The area outside of the establishment used for the storage of garbage shall be clean at all times and shall not constitute a nuisance. NO OUT SIDE GARBAGE DUMPSTER ON SITE FROM A WASTE COMPANY. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDW. NOTE THE RECIEPT IS FROM JAN THIS YEAR. ALSO CLEAN THE YARD. SERIOUS VIOLATION.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. PAINT WITH NONE TOXIC PAINT ALL THE RUSTY RACKS THROUGTOUT PRMISES. REMOVE THE METAL FROM THE EXTERIOR WALKIN COOLER DOOR IT HAS JAGGED EDGES STICKING OUT.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. PAINT WITH NONE TOXIC PAINT ALL THE RUSTY RACKS THROUGTOUT PRMISES. REMOVE THE METAL FROM THE EXTERIOR WALKIN COOLER DOOR IT HAS JAGGED EDGES STICKING OUT.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • All food and non-food contact surfaces of equipment and all food storage utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized daily. CLEAN THE INSIDE OF THE WALKIN COOLER THAT IS USED FOR STORAGE HAS FOOD DEBRIS,DUST AND DIRT ON THE WALLL, CEILING AND FLOOR.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. CLEAN AND SANITIZE THE BASEMENT FLOORS. PROVIDE FLOOR TILES THAT ARE MISSING THROUGHOUT THE STORE.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. CLEAN AND SANITIZE THE BASEMENT FLOORS. PROVIDE FLOOR TILES THAT ARE MISSING THROUGHOUT THE STORE.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • Use dustless cleaning methods. The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. HOLES IN THE CEILING IN THE BASEMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR SAME.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • Use dustless cleaning methods. The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. HOLES IN THE CEILING IN THE BASEMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR SAME.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Lighting: Required Minimum Foot-Candles Of Light Provided, Fixtures Shielded • All rooms in which food or drink is prepared, or in which utensils are washed, shall be lighted so that a minimum of 50-foot candles of light is available on all work surfaces. FOUND SIX LIGHTS HANGING DOWN FROM THE CEILING IN THE BASEMENT ALL CONNECTED BY EXTENSION CORDS. INSTRUCTED TO PROPERLY SECURE THE HANGING LIGHT FIXTURES.
• ⚠️Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • All food establishments that display, prepare, or store potentially hazardous foods shall have calibrated metal stem thermometers, provided and conspicuous, for refrigerated and hot food units. NO THERMOMETERS IN THE REACH IN COOLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE SAME.
  Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • All food establishments that display, prepare, or store potentially hazardous foods shall have calibrated metal stem thermometers, provided and conspicuous, for refrigerated and hot food units. NO THERMOMETERS IN THE REACH IN COOLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE SAME.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • Cleaning equipment shall be properly stored away from food, utensils, equipment, and clean linens. UNNECESSARY ARTICLES AND CLUTTER IN THE BASEMENT, STORE IN THE REAR,IN THE YARD AND UNDER THE STAIRS BY THE BASEMENT DOOR. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE THE UNNECESSARY ARTICLES AND CLEAN AND ORGNIZE SO NO INSECT OR RODENT HARBORAGE.

When was Maria's Supermarket last inspected?

Maria's Supermarket has 2 inspections on record going back to May 16, 2011.

Maria's Supermarket vs Lower West Side

Lower West Side runs 68% clean across 1,153 tracked restaurants — 775 clean, 162 mid, 205 cooked.

Against the 1,153 spots Cooked tracks in Lower West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 14% of them.

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• ✓ A' La Carte Food, Inc.
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See every restaurant inspection in Lower West 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 16, 2011. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.