Playa Azul

• resultFail
• critical violations0
• last inspectedApril 25, 2013
• address1514 W 18Th St, Chicago 60608

Is Playa Azul clean?

Playa Azul is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 25, 2013. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Playa Azul?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 25, 2013, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧪toxic chemicals mishandled
  Previous Minor Violation(S) Corrected 7-42-090 • PER PREVIOUS REPORT # 1321489 DATED JANUARY 22, 2013: THE VIOLATIONS BELOW WERE FOUND NOT CORRECTED AT THE TIME OF THIS INSPECTION. (34) CLEAN FLOOR UNDER COOKING EQUIPMENT AND UNDER THREE COMP SINK. (36) : SOME LIGHTS IN KITCHEN HAVE NO LIGHT SHIELDS AND SOME WITH SHIELDS HAVE NO END CAPS; MUST PROVIDE SHIELDS AND CAPS WHERE NEEDED FOR ALL LIGHTS IN FOOD PREP AREA. (38) THREE COMP SINK FAUCET NECK NOT MAINTAINED; LEAKING AND HAS PLASTIC AROUND NECK; REPAIR. ALSO PIPE UNDERNEATH SINK (OPEN DRAIN) NOT MAINTAINED; CLEAN DRAIN. CLEAN AND REPAIR THE SINK/DRAIN IN THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. COMPLETE THE ABATEMENT OF THE ABOVE VIOLATIONS.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • THE WOODEN SHELVES IN THE WALK IN COOLER AND NEXT TO THE TWO COMPARTMENT SINK ARE DIRTY WOOD, CLEAN AND RESEAL THE SHELVING OR REMOVE IT.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • THE WOODEN SHELVES IN THE WALK IN COOLER AND NEXT TO THE TWO COMPARTMENT SINK ARE DIRTY WOOD, CLEAN AND RESEAL THE SHELVING OR REMOVE IT.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • THE BASEMENT FLOOR IS WET AND DIRTY FROM THE RECENT RAINS; CLEAN AND SANITIZE THE BASEMENT IN DETAIL.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • THE BASEMENT FLOOR IS WET AND DIRTY FROM THE RECENT RAINS; CLEAN AND SANITIZE THE BASEMENT IN DETAIL.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Ventilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • THE VENTILATION HOOD INTERIOR IS GREASY, CLEAN THE HOOD.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • REMOVE THE WET, WATER DAMAGED BOXES OF DEBRIS FROM THE BASEMENT.

When was Playa Azul last inspected?

Playa Azul has 4 inspections on record going back to April 22, 2011.

Playa Azul vs Lower West Side

Lower West Side runs 68% clean across 1,153 tracked restaurants — 775 clean, 162 mid, 205 cooked.

Against the 1,153 spots Cooked tracks in Lower West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 15% of them.

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• ? El Picante Mexican Grill & Cafe
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• ? La Cocina
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See every restaurant inspection in Lower 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 April 25, 2013. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.