Cooked?
Meli Cafe On Dearborn
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedApril 17, 2026
- address500 S Dearborn St, Chicago 60605
Is Meli Cafe On Dearborn clean?
Meli Cafe On Dearborn is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 17, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Meli Cafe On Dearborn?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 17, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED RAW SHELLED EGGS HOLDING AT TOP RAIL OF COLD HOLDING UNIT WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 46.5F AND SLICED TOMATOES COLD HOLDING AT 49.8F. MANAGER VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED $64 OF PRODUCT. MUST HAVE COLD HOLDING FOODS AT 41.0F OR BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED
- 🧫food prep surfaces dirtyProper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED TOP RAIL OF 2-DOOR REACH IN COLD HOLD UNIT AT 46.3F; BOTTOM REFRIGERATION OF UNIT MEASURED AT 40.4F USING LONG STEM THERMOMETER. INSTRUCTED TO NOT USE EQUIPMENT UNTIL REPAIRED. INSTRUCTED TO UTILIZE SECOND REACH IN FOR COLD HOLDING UNTIL REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED. MUST HAVE COLD HOLDING FOODS AT 41.0F OR BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED DAMAGED LID AND DOOR ON 2-DOOR REACH IN PREP COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR.
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED ACCUMULATION OF DUST ON FILTERS ON HOOD IN REAR KITCHEN. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED ACCUMULATION OF DUST ON FILTERS ON HOOD IN REAR KITCHEN. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
When was Meli Cafe On Dearborn last inspected?
Meli Cafe On Dearborn has 22 inspections on record going back to December 9, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 21, 2025 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| February 5, 2025 | Pass | |
| January 24, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 1, 2024 | Pass | |
| May 6, 2024 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| January 24, 2023 | Pass | |
| January 17, 2023 | Fail | |
| January 31, 2022 | Pass | |
| November 2, 2021 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| January 14, 2020 | Pass | |
| February 14, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions |
Meli Cafe On Dearborn vs Loop
Loop runs 70% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 2,521 clean, 764 mid, 300 cooked.
Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 23% of them.
Other spots in Loop
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 April 17, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.