Masa Azul

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedDecember 9, 2019
• address2901 W Diversey Ave, Chicago 60647

Is Masa Azul clean?

Masa Azul is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on December 9, 2019. 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 Masa Azul?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 9, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HAND WASHING SIGNS AT HAND SINKS IN PREP /BAR AREAS. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • OBSERVED NO PROBE THERMOMETER FOR TEMPERATURE TAKING OF FOODS.MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.(PRIORITY FOUNDATION-NO CITATION ISSUED)
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • MUST LABEL FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WHEN FOOD IS NOT IN ORIGINAL PACKAGE.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST REMOVE, ENCLOSE OR ENCASE OVERHEAD WASTE PIPES ABOVE LIQUOR STORAGE SHELVES OR REMOVE LIQUOR IN LIQUOR ROOM.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST REMOVE, ENCLOSE OR ENCASE OVERHEAD WASTE PIPES ABOVE LIQUOR STORAGE SHELVES OR REMOVE LIQUOR IN LIQUOR ROOM.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM GRILL TABLES,OVENS,FRYER CABINET,PIPES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT,WALK IN COOLER SHELVING UNITS.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • MUST REMOVE TAPE WRAPPED AROUND PIPES UNDER 3- COMPARTMENT SINK IN 1ST FL. DISH WASHING AREA.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE STAINED CEILING TILES IN WOMEN'S TOILET ROOM. • MUST ELEVATE ARTICLES OFF OF FLOOR AND AWAY FROM WALLS IN BASEMENT STORAGE CLOSET. • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM FLOOR DRAIN IN 1ST FL. DISH MACHINE AREA.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • MUST PROVIDE LIGHT SHIELDS FOR LIGHTS IN DRY FOOD STORAGE AREA. • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS FROM FILTERS AT HOOD OF COOKING EQUIPMENT.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • MUST PROVIDE LIGHT SHIELDS FOR LIGHTS IN DRY FOOD STORAGE AREA. • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS FROM FILTERS AT HOOD OF COOKING EQUIPMENT.

When was Masa Azul last inspected?

Masa Azul has 20 inspections on record going back to August 2, 2011. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Masa Azul vs Avondale

Avondale runs 64% clean across 679 tracked restaurants — 432 clean, 111 mid, 133 cooked.

Against the 679 spots Cooked tracks in Avondale, this one comes out cleaner than 25% of them.

Other spots in Avondale

• ✓ Masa Azul
  clean · August 8, 2011
• ✓ Little Clown Pizza & Restaurant
  clean · May 9, 2012
• ✓ Blessed Manufacturing
  clean · March 11, 2011
• ✓! Arco Iris
  mid · December 8, 2023
• ✓ Longman & Eagle
  clean · June 9, 2011
• ✓ Chipotle Mexican Grill
  clean · January 8, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Avondale →

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 December 9, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.