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North Center Prime
- resultPass
- critical violations1
- last inspectedDecember 9, 2025
- address4138-4142 N Lincoln, Chicago 60618
Is North Center Prime clean?
North Center Prime is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on December 9, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at North Center Prime?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 9, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO SIGNAGE NOTIFYING FOOD EMPLOYEES TO WASH HANDS PROVIDED AT THE LEFT-HAND MAIN COOK LINE HANDWASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SIGNAGE TO ALL HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT IN POOR REPAIR THROUGHOUT FACILITY: 3-DOOR UPRIGHT COOLER DOOR HANDLES MISSING OR IN POOR REPAIR IN THE MAIN KITCHEN AREA, SEVERAL LINE COOLER LIDS LOOSE OR DETACHED THROUGHOUT MAIN KITCHEN AREA, DOOR LATCHES DETACHED OR UNABLE TO SECURE DOORS ON REACH-IN COOLERS IN BAR AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE ALL LISTED EQUIPMENT OR FIXTURES AND MAINTAIN ALL EQUIPMENT IN GOOD REPAIR AND PROPER ADJUSTMENT.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED HEAVY BUILD UP OF DRIED FOOD DEBRIS, DUST DEBRIS, AND GREASE ALONG NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES (DRIP TRAY, COMPRESSOR) OF THE UPRIGHT STACK OVEN IN THE MAIN KITCHEN AREA. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF EQUIPMENT AT ADEQUATE FREQUENCY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF SOILS AND MAINTAIN.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED NO BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE INSTALLED AT THE ICE MACHINE IN THE BASEMENT AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE AT ALL REQUIRED EQUIPMENT AND PLUMBING FIXTURES AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD REPAIR AT ALL TIMES. • OBSERVED FAUCET AT THE MAIN KITCHEN AREA 3-COMPARTMENT SINK IN POOR REPAIR, LEAKING BUT FUNCTIONAL. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE MAIN KITCHEN AREA 3-COMPARTMENT SINK AND MAINTAIN ALL PLUMBING FIXTURES IN GOOD REPAIR.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED FLOOR PANELS IN THE BASEMENT AREA WALK-IN COOLER NOT EASILY-CLEANABLE, DETACHED FROM FLOOR. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE BOLT-ON FLOOR PANELS IN THE BASEMENT AREA WALK-IN COOLER AND MAINTAIN ALL PHYSICAL FACILITIES AS EASILY-CLEANABLE.
When was North Center Prime last inspected?
North Center Prime has 3 inspections on record going back to April 14, 2025.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| December 9, 2025 | Pass | |
| July 15, 2025 | Pass | |
| April 14, 2025 | Pass |
North Center Prime vs North Center
North Center runs 68% clean across 976 tracked restaurants — 657 clean, 151 mid, 163 cooked.
Against the 976 spots Cooked tracks in North Center, this one comes out cleaner than 32% of them.
Other spots in North Center
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 December 9, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.