Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedAugust 18, 2025
• address3801-3809 N Broadway, Chicago 60613

Is Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi clean?

Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on August 18, 2025. 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 Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 18, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED 10 DEAD COACKROACHES ON PREP TABLE BELOW THE MICROWAVE IN THE TOASTER AREA ON NORTHERN MOST PORTION OF PANCAKE CAFE NEAR THE 2 DOOR REACH IN COOLER. OBSERVED 3 DEAD ROACHES ON THE SHELF NEXT TO THE REAR/NORTH ENTRANCE TO THE KITCHEN OF THE PANCAKE CAFE. OBSERVED ADDITIONAL 2 DEAD COCKROACHES UNDER THE SHELVES DIRECTLY ACROSS DEEP FRYER AND CONVECTION OVEN IN THE REAR HALL PREP AREA OF PANCAKE CAFE. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN FREE OF DEAD COCKROACHES AND INSECTS.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED TWO (2) DOOR COOLER AT THE TOASTER PREP AREA AT THE NORTHERN MOST END OF THE PANCAKE CAFE TO HAVE SEVEREALY TORN AND LOOSE GASEKTS. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE TORN GASKETS.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED THE GASKETS AND DOOR HINGES OF THE TWO (2) DOOR COOLER LOCATED AT NORTHERN MOST END OF THE PANCAKE CAFE/TOASTER PREP AREA TO BE EXTREMELY DIRTY, WITH FOOD DEBRIS, GREASE, AND TRASH BUILD UP. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO DETAIL CLEAN ALL GASKETS AND HINGES AND CREVICES AND MAINTAIN FREE OF EXCESSIVE DEBRIS AND GREASE BUILD UP.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED THE HOT WATER HANDLE OF THE 3 COMPARTMENT SINK IN THE MAIN DISHWASHING AREA TO BE MISSING. HOT WATER AND SINK IS STILL FUNCTIONAL. INSTRUCTED TO SERVICE AND REPLACE. OBSERVED LEAK FROM 3 COMPARTMENT SINK DRAIN IN THE FRONT BAR AREA IN THE PANCAKE CAFE SOUTHERN MOST ENTRANCE. WATER DRIPPING ON FLOOR BELOW 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO SERVICE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD REPAIR. • OBSERVED NO BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE PRESENT AT THE COFFEE MAKER/MACHINE AT THE NORTH SIDE COFFEE PREP AREA IN THE PANCAKE CAFE PORTION OF THE FACILITY. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE AT THE COFFEE MACHINE WATER LINE.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED ALL THREE BATHROOMS AT FACILITY TO BE WITHOUT A SELF CLOSING DOOR AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A SELF CLOSING MECHANISM FOR ALL BATHROOM DOORS.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED ALL THREE BATHROOMS AT FACILITY TO BE WITHOUT A SELF CLOSING DOOR AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A SELF CLOSING MECHANISM FOR ALL BATHROOM DOORS.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED VARIOUS GAPS AND OPEN CORNERS IN THE AJI SUSHI COUNTER PREP LINE, SURROUNDING THE REACH IN/PREP COOLERS AS WELL AS THE HAND SINKS. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL ALL JUNCTURES AND ENCLOSE/SEAL ALL GAPS TO PROVIDE A CLEANABLE SURFACE. • OBSERVED THE FLOORING BELOW THE SINGLE FRYER AND THE CONVECTION OVEN IN THE REAR PREP HALL LEADING TO THE NORTH END TOASTER TO BE HEAVILY SOILED WITH GREASE BUILD UP, FOOD DEBRIS, AND PIECES OF TRASH. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO DETAIL CLEAN ALL FLOORS AND MAINTAIN FREE OF EXCESSIVE TRASH AND DEBRIS BUILD UP. OBSERVED THE MAIN PREP LINE ON THE PANCAKE CAFE UNDER THE DRAWER COOLERS AND FRYERS, AS WELL AS THE FLOOR UNDER THE COOLERS IN THE AJI PREP/BAR LINE TO BE HEAVILY SOILED WITH FOOD DEBRIS AND TRASH BUILD UP. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN FREE OF EXCESSIVE TRASH AND FOOD DEBRIS BUILD UP.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED NO LIGHTS AVAILABLE IN THE OVERHEAD EXHAUST OF THE REAR EXHAUST/PREP AREA OVER THE CONVECTION OVEN/FRYER IN THE REAR HALL PREP, AS WELL AS NO LIGHTS AVAILABLE IN THE HOOD AT THE FRONT/MAIN PREP LINE AT THE SOUTH END OF PANCAKE CAFE. INSTRUCTED TO SERVICE/PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL PREP AREAS.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED NO LIGHTS AVAILABLE IN THE OVERHEAD EXHAUST OF THE REAR EXHAUST/PREP AREA OVER THE CONVECTION OVEN/FRYER IN THE REAR HALL PREP, AS WELL AS NO LIGHTS AVAILABLE IN THE HOOD AT THE FRONT/MAIN PREP LINE AT THE SOUTH END OF PANCAKE CAFE. INSTRUCTED TO SERVICE/PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL PREP AREAS.

When was Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi last inspected?

Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi has 13 inspections on record going back to November 30, 2021. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi vs Lake View

Lake View runs 40% clean across 2,211 tracked restaurants — 880 clean, 214 mid, 1,110 cooked.

Against the 2,211 spots Cooked tracks in Lake View, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Lake View

• ✓ Pancake Cafe/Aji Sushi
  clean · December 14, 2021
• ✓ I Dream Of Falafel/Salt
  clean · September 29, 2023
• ✓! Pedestrian Coffee
  mid · March 10, 2026
• ✓ Diver
  clean · May 6, 2021
• ✓! Diver
  cooked · November 9, 2022
• ✓ Diver
  clean · May 6, 2021

See every restaurant inspection in Lake View →

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 August 18, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.