Mcgowan South Cafe

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations4
• last inspectedFebruary 19, 2025
• address1110 W Belden Ave, Chicago 60614

Is Mcgowan South Cafe clean?

Mcgowan South Cafe is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on February 19, 2025. 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 Mcgowan South Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 19, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋no certified food manager on dutycritical
  Person In Charge Present, Demonstrates Knowledge, And Performs Duties • NO PERSON IN CHARGE PRESENT AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • FOUND NO CITY OF CHICAGO SANITATION CERTIFICATE ON PREMISES WHILE HANDLING TCS FOODS. (HANDLES DAIRY AND SANDWICHES) PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. CITATION ISSUED.7-38-012. MUST PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL WITH CERTIFIED MANAGER CERTIFICATE ON SITE DURING ALL HOURS OF OPERATION. MANAGER WITH CERTIFICATE SHOWED UP AFTER THE START OF THE INSPECTION FROM SEPARATE LOCATION ON CAMPUS.
• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • OBSERVED NO CLEAN UP PROCEDURE FOR VOMITING AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE THE CLEANING SUPPLIES KIT AND ASSOCIATED PROCEDURE FOR USE BY EMPLOYEES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION, 7-38-005. MANAGER STATES A 3RD PARTY IS RESPOSNIBLE FOR CLEANING UP EVENTS.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO SOAP AVAILABLE AT THE HANDWASHING SINK IN THE FRONT PREPARATION AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE SOAP FOR HAND WASHING AT ALL HAND SINKS AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION, 7-38-030(c). CITATION ISSUED. MANAGER PROVIDED SOAP AT SINK AT TIME OF INSPECTION.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • OBSERVED NO SANITIZING SOLUTION AVAILABLE ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A CHEMICAL SANITIZER TO BE AVAILABLE FOR USE DURING ALL HOURS OF OPERATION. EMPLOYEE PROVIDED CHEMICAL SANITIZER AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY VIOLATION, 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO TEST KIT FOR SANITIZING SOLUTION AVAILABLE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE TEST KIT FOR ANY SANITIZING SOLUTION USED ON SITE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION, 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED. MANAGER PROVIDED TEST KIT FOR FACILITY FROM OFFICE LOCATION ON CAMPUS AT TIME OF INSPECTION.
  Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO TEST KIT FOR SANITIZING SOLUTION AVAILABLE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE TEST KIT FOR ANY SANITIZING SOLUTION USED ON SITE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION, 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED. MANAGER PROVIDED TEST KIT FOR FACILITY FROM OFFICE LOCATION ON CAMPUS AT TIME OF INSPECTION.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED SOAP DISPENSER AT FRONT PREP AREA HAND SINK TO BE BROKEN OFF THE WALL AND MISSING. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO SERVICE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD REPAIR.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE PERSONAL ITEMS STORED ON SHELVES AND ON TOP OF PACKAGES SINGLE SERVICE ITEMS IN THE REAR DRY STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEE PERSON ITEMS TO ENSURE THEY ARE NOT STORED WITH SINGLE SERVICE AND FOOD ITEMS.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE PERSONAL ITEMS STORED ON SHELVES AND ON TOP OF PACKAGES SINGLE SERVICE ITEMS IN THE REAR DRY STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEE PERSON ITEMS TO ENSURE THEY ARE NOT STORED WITH SINGLE SERVICE AND FOOD ITEMS.

When was Mcgowan South Cafe last inspected?

Mcgowan South Cafe has 11 inspections on record going back to January 7, 2010.

Mcgowan South Cafe vs Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park runs 67% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 1,089 clean, 360 mid, 187 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

• ? Espial Ltd
  cooked · September 6, 2012
• ✓ Gemini Bistro
  clean · September 9, 2025
• ✓ Best Food Mart
  cooked · May 17, 2011
• ✓ Shine Restaurant
  clean · August 25, 2025
• ? Gorilla Kids
  cooked · October 19, 2010
• ✓ Bacci Pizza
  cooked · September 11, 2013

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 February 19, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.