Cooked?
Original Ferrara
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedFebruary 4, 2026
- address2210 W Taylor St, Chicago 60612
Is Original Ferrara clean?
Original Ferrara is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 4, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Original Ferrara?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 4, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED HANDWASHING SIGN MISSING FROM THE EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK ON THE SECOND FLOOR WHERE DEEP FRYING OCCURS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN
- 🧪toxic chemicals mishandledCompliance With Variance/Specialized Process/Haccp • OBSERVED FACILITY NOT MEETING COMPLIANCE WITH VARIANCE/SPECIALIZED PROCESS IN FACILITY NOTED REDUCED OXYGEN PACKAGING IN THE FRONT LOBBY, FREEZER UNIT FOR CONSUMERS TO GRAB. FOUND THE FOLLOWING: VARIOUS RAVIOLI: CHEESE, MEAT, AND SPINACH. MEATBALLS, ITALIAN SAUSAGE, ITALIAN BEEF, AND HOUSE MARINATED CHICKEN: BLACKENDED, PESTO, CHIPOTLE, LEMON, OREGANO, HONEY BALSAMIC. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE THAT DOCUMENTATION AND PROCEDURES MUST BE SUBMITTED AND APPROVED BY CDPH BEFORE PERFORMING SUCH SPECIALIZED FOOD PROCESSES. MUST BE MAINTAINED.TAGGED UNIT, INCLUDING PACKAGING MATERIAL. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005, CITATION ISSUED
- ⚠️Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • OBSERVED A VACUUM PACKAGING MACHINE ON SITE, AND ASSORTED FOOD ITEMS INSIDE THE SELF SERVICE FREEZER UNIT IN THE FRONT LOBBY. VACUUM PACKAGED ITEMS WITH NO PROOF OF HACCP OR VARIANCE PER HEALTH CODE REQUIREMENT. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT DISCONTINUE THE VACUUM PACKAGING PROCESS UNTIL THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT approves a VARIANCE AND HACCP. THE FOOD ITEMS THAT WAS VACUUM PACKAGED WAS ALSO TAGGED AND HELD FOR INSPECTION 68LBS WORTH OF PRODUCT. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005, CITATION CONSOLIDATED WITH VIOLATION #29Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • OBSERVED A VACUUM PACKAGING MACHINE ON SITE, AND ASSORTED FOOD ITEMS INSIDE THE SELF SERVICE FREEZER UNIT IN THE FRONT LOBBY. VACUUM PACKAGED ITEMS WITH NO PROOF OF HACCP OR VARIANCE PER HEALTH CODE REQUIREMENT. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT DISCONTINUE THE VACUUM PACKAGING PROCESS UNTIL THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT approves a VARIANCE AND HACCP. THE FOOD ITEMS THAT WAS VACUUM PACKAGED WAS ALSO TAGGED AND HELD FOR INSPECTION 68LBS WORTH OF PRODUCT. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005, CITATION CONSOLIDATED WITH VIOLATION #29
- ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO SINK STOPPERS FOR THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO SINK STOPPERS FOR THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
When was Original Ferrara last inspected?
Original Ferrara has 25 inspections on record going back to June 17, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 4, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| February 26, 2025 | Pass | |
| February 9, 2024 | Pass | |
| February 2, 2024 | Fail | |
| February 9, 2023 | Pass | |
| February 23, 2022 | Pass | |
| February 14, 2022 | Fail | |
| March 4, 2021 | Pass | |
| February 25, 2021 | Fail | |
| January 13, 2020 | Pass | |
| April 8, 2019 | Pass | |
| July 18, 2018 | Pass w/ Conditions |
Original Ferrara vs Near West Side
Near West Side runs 50% clean across 2,033 tracked restaurants — 1,019 clean, 227 mid, 774 cooked.
Against the 2,033 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 40% of them.
Other spots in Near West 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 February 4, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.