Mereo

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations2
• last inspectedMarch 18, 2020
• address939 N Orleans St, Chicago 60610

Is Mereo clean?

Mereo is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on March 18, 2020. 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 Mereo?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 18, 2020, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • THE PERSON IN CHARGE UNABLE TO PROVIDE EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SIGNED EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-010. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • THE PERSON IN CHARGE UNABLE TO PROVIDE PROCEDURE FOR EMPLOYEE TO FOLLOW WHEN RESPONDING TO VOMIT AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE BOTH. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED NO BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE AT THE SERVICE SINK INSIDE WASHROOM. A BACK FLOW PREVENTION DEVICE MUST BE LOCATED, SO THAT IT MAY BE SERVICED AND MAINTAINED.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED BROKEN FLOOR TILES IN REAR OF FOOD PREP AREA. MUST REPAIR AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS INSIDE FURNANCE ROOM. MUST REMOVE CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS TO PREVENT RODENT HARBORAGE. MUST ELEVEATE ITEMS 6 INCHES OFF FLOOR. • MUST REMOVE NON WORKING COOLER FROM FOOD PREP AREA. • OBSERVED A BIG OPENING INTO WALL BEHIND EXPOSED HAND WASHING IN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA. MUST SEAL AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED DUST BUILD UP ON ALL CEILING VENTILATION VENTS THROUGHOUT FACILITY. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED BURN OUT LIGHTS ABOVE PREP TABLES IN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA. MUST REPAIR/PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED DUST BUILD UP ON ALL CEILING VENTILATION VENTS THROUGHOUT FACILITY. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED BURN OUT LIGHTS ABOVE PREP TABLES IN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA. MUST REPAIR/PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • FOUND NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE FOR ALL CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE MANAGERS.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • FOUND NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE FOR ALL CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE MANAGERS.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGERS ON SITE WITHOUT THE ALLERGEN TRAINING CERTIFICATION. INSTRUCTED THAT ALL CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGERS MUST COMPLETE FOOD ALLERGEN TRAINING.

When was Mereo last inspected?

Mereo has 5 inspections on record going back to March 13, 2020.

Mereo vs Near North Side

Near North Side runs 53% clean across 2,889 tracked restaurants — 1,514 clean, 253 mid, 1,113 cooked.

Against the 2,889 spots Cooked tracks in Near North Side, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Near North Side

• ✓ Lure Fishbar
  clean · February 19, 2026
• ✓ Lure Fishbar
  clean · June 9, 2020
• ✓! Chick-Fil-A
  cooked · August 16, 2021
• ✓ Surf's Old Town
  cooked · March 24, 2021
• ✓ Doma
  clean · November 18, 2025
• ✓ Aldi
  clean · July 24, 2024

See every restaurant inspection in Near North 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 March 18, 2020. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.