Montrose Deli

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedFebruary 17, 2026
• address5407-5417 W Montrose Ave, Chicago 60641
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Montrose Deli clean?

Montrose Deli is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 17, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Montrose Deli?

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

• 🧼hand hygiene slippingcritical
  Proper Eating, Tasting, Drinking, Or Tobacco Use • OBSERVED MALE EMPLOYEE DRINKING COFFEE ON THE PREP LINE WHILE CUTTING ONIONS. INSTRUCTED MUST PROVIDE DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEES PERSONAL DRINKS. ALL OPEN DRINKS ARE PROHIBITED IN PREP AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  Hands Clean & Properly Washed • OBSERVED POOR HYGIENIC PRACTICIES BY MALE FOOD HANDLER. OBSERVED HIM COUGH INTO HIS HANDS AND AFTER WENT BACK STRAIGHT TO CUTTING ONIONS WITHOUT WASHING HIS HANDS. INSTRUCTED TO WASH HANDS AFTER EVERY POSSIBLE CONTAMINATION.HANDS WERE WASHED DURING INSPECTION(COS)(PRIORITY 7-38-010)(CITATION ISSUED)
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO PAPER TOWELS OR SANITARY HAND DRYING DEVICES AT HAND WASHING SINKS IN BAKERY PREP AREA AND RECEIVING AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-030(C).
• ⚠️Toxic Substances Properly Identified, Stored, & Used • OBSERVED 3 COMPARTMENT SINK SETUP SANITIZING UTILIZING CHOLORINE SANITIZER CONCENTRATION OVER 200 PPM, EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION LEVEL FOR CHOLORINE SANITIZER TO USE ON A FOOD-CONTACT SURFACE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER SAID SANITIZER MUST PROPERLY SANITIZE AT 50PPM-100PPM OF CHLORINE ALL TIMES. PRIORITY VIOLATION. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-005.
  Toxic Substances Properly Identified, Stored, & Used • OBSERVED 3 COMPARTMENT SINK SETUP SANITIZING UTILIZING CHOLORINE SANITIZER CONCENTRATION OVER 200 PPM, EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION LEVEL FOR CHOLORINE SANITIZER TO USE ON A FOOD-CONTACT SURFACE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER SAID SANITIZER MUST PROPERLY SANITIZE AT 50PPM-100PPM OF CHLORINE ALL TIMES. PRIORITY VIOLATION. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-005.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR IN WALK-IN FREEZER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD SIX INCHES OFF FLOOR.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR IN WALK-IN FREEZER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD SIX INCHES OFF FLOOR.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED SOILED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON PREP TABLES. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO STORE IN SANITIZING SOLUTION BETWEEN USES.
• ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED DEBRIS AROUND DUMPSTER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
  Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED DEBRIS AROUND DUMPSTER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED BUILD UP OF DUST IN THE PRODUCE WALK IN COOLER FANS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED BUILD UP OF DUST IN THE PRODUCE WALK IN COOLER FANS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN

When was Montrose Deli last inspected?

Montrose Deli has 11 inspections on record going back to September 11, 2019.

Montrose Deli vs Portage Park

Portage Park runs 65% clean across 715 tracked restaurants — 462 clean, 142 mid, 107 cooked.

Against the 715 spots Cooked tracks in Portage Park, this one comes out cleaner than 51% of them.

Other spots in Portage Park

• ✓! La Bodega Food Market
  mid · November 20, 2023
• ✓! Fannie's Cafe
  cooked · August 25, 2020
• ✓ El Sabor La Michoacanita
  cooked · May 4, 2021
• ✓ Atole Catering
  clean · April 16, 2025
• ✓ Atole Catering
  clean · November 21, 2019
• ✓ Retro Fitness Center
  clean · November 28, 2023

See every restaurant inspection in Portage 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 17, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.