Pippins Tavern

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedDecember 8, 2025
• address39 E Chicago Ave, Chicago 60611

Is Pippins Tavern clean?

Pippins Tavern is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on December 8, 2025. 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 Pippins Tavern?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 8, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • NOTED NO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON DUTY WITH THE ORIGINAL CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE CERTIFICATE WHILE TCS FOODS (RICE, CHICKEN SOUPS ETC.) WERE BEING PREPARED AND SERVED. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT A CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER MUST BE PRESENT AT ALL TIMES TCS FOODS ARE PREPARED AND SERVED AND ALSO THE PERSON IN CHARGE MUST HAVE A CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFICATE BY NEXT INSPECTION (UPON BEING INSPECTED) PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • NOTED INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF THE FOLLOWING TCS FOOD ITEMS INSIDE WALK IN COOLER TO BE IMPROPER:-CHICKEN 48.6F/45.9F,PASTA 49.9F/45F, BEEF 44.9F,PICO DE GALLO 45.1F, SOUP 47.1F,EGGS 45.1F, CHICKEN WINGS 45.8F, ASSORTED SAUCES 45.6F. MANAGER IMMEDIATELY AND VOLUNTARILY DISPOSED OF 40 LBS OF PRODUCTS WORTH $60.00 THROUGH DENATURING PROCESS. PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • EQUIPMENT NOT MAINTAINING PROPER TEMPERATURE. NOTED TEMPERATURE OF WALK IN COOLER AT THE PREP AREA TO BE IMPROPER AT 45.6F. INSTRUCTED NOT TO USE EQUIPMENT UNTIL MAINTAINING PROPER TEMPERATURE OF 41F AND BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • NOTED DIRTY WIPING CLOTHS ON PREP TABLES NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED TO PROPERLY STORE ALL WASHCLOTHS IN A SANITIZING SOLUTION ESPECIALLY WHEN NOT IN USE.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • NOTED SERVING PLATES ON SHELVES AT THE KITCHEN PREP AREA NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT ALL SERVING PLATES AT THE DINNING TABLES TO PREVENT DUST ACCUMULATION.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • NOTED SERVING PLATES ON SHELVES AT THE KITCHEN PREP AREA NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT ALL SERVING PLATES AT THE DINNING TABLES TO PREVENT DUST ACCUMULATION.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • NOTED LOOSE AND MISSING KNOTS ON LID OF SERVICE PREP COOLERS AT THE KITCHEN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • NOTED HIGH TEMPERATURE DISH WASHING MACHINE WITH THE TEMPERATURE MEASURING DEVICE (GUAGE) NOT MAINTAINED. NOTED HIGH TEMPERATUR DISH WASHING MACHINE GUAGE WITH READING OF 00F. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION#7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
  Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • NOTED HIGH TEMPERATURE DISH WASHING MACHINE WITH THE TEMPERATURE MEASURING DEVICE (GUAGE) NOT MAINTAINED. NOTED HIGH TEMPERATUR DISH WASHING MACHINE GUAGE WITH READING OF 00F. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION#7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.

When was Pippins Tavern last inspected?

Pippins Tavern has 9 inspections on record going back to September 30, 2021.

Pippins Tavern vs Near North Side

Near North Side runs 53% clean across 2,889 tracked restaurants — 1,514 clean, 253 mid, 1,113 cooked.

Against the 2,889 spots Cooked tracks in Near North Side, this one comes out cleaner than 40% of them.

Other spots in Near North Side

• ✓ Pippins Tavern
  clean · November 9, 2021
• ✓ Alpana
  clean · April 13, 2026
• ✓ Alpana
  clean · January 14, 2022
• ✓ Alpana
  clean · January 14, 2022
• ✓ Scoops Dessert Bar Llc
  cooked · February 23, 2022
• ✓ Foxtrot
  cooked · January 30, 2024

See every restaurant inspection in Near North 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 December 8, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.