Mela

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedFebruary 17, 2026
• address162 N Franklin St, Chicago 60606

Is Mela clean?

Mela is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 17, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Mela?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 17, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF EQUIPMENT TO BE SOILED: INTERIOR BASINS OF HOT-HOLDING WELL IN THE FRONT SERVICE AREA SOILED WITH RUST DEBRIS; SIDES AND INTERIOR CAVITY OF PIZZA OVEN AND DEEP FRYERS IN THE FRONT SERVICE AREA SOILED WITH GREASE AND DRIED FOOD DEBRIS; INTERIOR CAVITY OF SEVERAL LINE COOLERS IN THE FRONT AND REAR PREPARATION AREAS SOILED WITH DRIED FOOD DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF EQUIPMENT AT ADEQUATE FREQUENCY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF SOIL AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED CEILING ABOVE THE 3-COMPARTMENT SINK IN THE REAR WAREWASHING AREA TO BE IN POOR REPAIR, HEAVY EVIDENCE OF VISIBLE WATER DAMAGE AND CEILING CRACKED WITH OPEN HOLE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE CEILING ABOVE THE REAR WAREWASHING AREA 3-COMPARTMENT SINK TO ELIMINATE VISIBLE WATER DAMAGE AND OPEN HOLE AND MAINTAIN ALL PHYSICAL FACILITIES IN GOOD REPAIR. • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING PHYSICAL FACILITIES TO BE SOILED: FLOOR OF THE FRONT AND REAR SERVICE AREAS SOILED WITH GREASE, RUST DEBRIS, AND DRIED FOOD DEBRIS; FLOOR BENEATH 2-COMPARTMENT AND 3-COMPARTMENT SINKS IN THE REAR PREPARATION/WAREWASHING AREAS SOILED WITH RUST DEBRIS, FLOOR OF THE WALK-IN COOLER AREA SOILED WITH DRIED FOOD DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOORS AND OTHER PHYSICAL FACILITIES AT ADEQUATE FREQUENCY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF SOILS AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED HEAVY BUILD UP OF GREASE AND DUST DEBRIS ON FILTERS AND INTERIOR SURFACES OF VENTILATION HOOD SYSTEM ABOVE DEEP FRYERS AND OVENS IN THE REAR SERVICE AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE VENTILATION HOOD SYSTEM AND FILTERS AND MAINTAIN VENTILATION HOOD SYSTEM AND FILTERS OF ADEQUATE NUMBER AND CAPACITY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF GREASE AND DUST DEBRIS ALONG INTERIOR SURFACES OF VENTILATION SYSTEM AND ADJACENT PHYSICAL FACILITY SURFACES.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED HEAVY BUILD UP OF GREASE AND DUST DEBRIS ON FILTERS AND INTERIOR SURFACES OF VENTILATION HOOD SYSTEM ABOVE DEEP FRYERS AND OVENS IN THE REAR SERVICE AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE VENTILATION HOOD SYSTEM AND FILTERS AND MAINTAIN VENTILATION HOOD SYSTEM AND FILTERS OF ADEQUATE NUMBER AND CAPACITY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF GREASE AND DUST DEBRIS ALONG INTERIOR SURFACES OF VENTILATION SYSTEM AND ADJACENT PHYSICAL FACILITY SURFACES.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED PERSON-IN-CHARGE WITH CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER MISSING ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING AND CERTIFICATE ON-SITE AT TIME OF LICENSE INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ALL CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGERS WITH ADDITIONAL ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING AND MAINTAIN CERTIFICATE(S) ON-SITE AND AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTOR REVIEW AT ALL TIMES.

When was Mela last inspected?

Mela has 2 inspections on record going back to February 5, 2026.

Mela vs Loop

Loop runs 44% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 1,566 clean, 332 mid, 1,687 cooked.

Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 59% of them.

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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 17, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.