Cooked?
Phodega
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedJanuary 15, 2026
- address1924 W Division St, Chicago 60622
Is Phodega clean?
Phodega is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 15, 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 Phodega?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 15, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 📋certified manager paperwork missingcriticalCity Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CERTIFIED CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION MANAGER ON SITE AT START TIME OF INSPECTION WHILE TIME TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY, TCS, FOODS ARE STORED, HANDLED, PREPARED AND SERVED. MANAGER, NATHAN HOOPS, ARRIVED ON SITE AT APPROXMATELY 12:40PM. INSTRUCTED THAT A CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER MUST BE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES DURING BUSINESS HOURS WHILE TCS FOODS ARE STORED, HANDLED, PREPARED AND SERVED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedFood-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • OBSERVED ICE MACHINE WITH A BUILD-UP OF BLACK SLIME SUBSTANCE OVER ICE CUBES STORED INSIDE ICE BIN. ICE IS USED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
- 🏷️food improperly labeledFood Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WITHOUT LABELS CONTAINING THE COMMON NAME OF FOODS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
- ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN WALK-IN COOLER, REFRIGERATOR AND PREP COOLERS IN FOOD CONTAINERS UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS.Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN WALK-IN COOLER, REFRIGERATOR AND PREP COOLERS IN FOOD CONTAINERS UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS.
- ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS PREPPING/HANDLING FOOD WITHOUT HAIR AND/OR BEARD RESTRAINTS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS PREPPING/HANDLING FOOD WITHOUT HAIR AND/OR BEARD RESTRAINTS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
- ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED IN-USE UTENSILS STORED IMPROPERLY DIRECTLY INSIDE OF THE FOOD CONTAINER(S). INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BETWEEN USAGE.In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED IN-USE UTENSILS STORED IMPROPERLY DIRECTLY INSIDE OF THE FOOD CONTAINER(S). INSTRUCTED TO STORE PROPERLY BETWEEN USAGE.
- ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED PLATES STORED IMPROPERLY IN PREP AREA; PLATES NOT INVERTED. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT.Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED PLATES STORED IMPROPERLY IN PREP AREA; PLATES NOT INVERTED. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED CARDBOARD USED AS LINER ON FOOD PREP EQUIPMENT, ON STORAGE AREA SHELVING AND ON THE FLOOR IN THE DISH WASH AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED DRAINPIPE LEAK UNDERNEATH 3 COMPARTMENT SINK IN THE DISH WASH AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR.
- ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED MISSING/NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN BOTH ALL-GENDER WASHROOMS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVER.Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED MISSING/NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN BOTH ALL-GENDER WASHROOMS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVER.
- 🥜allergen training missingAllergen Training As Required • OBSERVED CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION MANAGER ON DUTY WITHOUT ALLERGEN TRAINING. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE VALID DOCUMENTATION.
When was Phodega last inspected?
Phodega has 22 inspections on record going back to October 30, 2012. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| January 15, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 10, 2025 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 30, 2024 | Pass | |
| December 22, 2023 | Pass | |
| December 14, 2023 | Fail | |
| April 20, 2022 | Pass | |
| April 13, 2022 | Fail | |
| September 2, 2020 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| February 27, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 27, 2017 | Pass | |
| May 20, 2016 | Pass | |
| May 18, 2016 | Fail |
Phodega vs West Town
West Town runs 72% clean across 2,068 tracked restaurants — 1,475 clean, 422 mid, 160 cooked.
Against the 2,068 spots Cooked tracks in West Town, this one comes out cleaner than 44% of them.
Other spots in West Town
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 January 15, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.