Cooked?
Polk Street Bar
- resultFail
- critical violations2
- last inspectedMay 23, 2023
- address548 W Polk St, Chicago 60607
Is Polk Street Bar clean?
Polk Street Bar is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 23, 2023. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.
What did inspectors find at Polk Street Bar?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 23, 2023, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 📋certified manager paperwork missingcriticalCity Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • FOUND NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION WITH A VALID AND ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE POSTED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-012.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT THE BAR HANDWASHING SINK. MUST PROVIDE. • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SINKS IN THE REAR DISH AND THE KITCHEN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT A HANDWASHING SINK MUST BE LOCATED TO ALLOW CONVENIENT USE BY EMPLOYEES IN ALL FOOD DISPENSING AND DISHWASHING AREAS. MUST INSTALL A HANDWASHING SINK IN BOTH SAID AREAS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-030(C).
- 🧫food prep surfaces dirtyProper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED THE 1-DOOR FREEZER IN THE DISH AREA AND THE WALK-IN COOLER LOCATED IN THE OUTSIDE STORAGE BUILDING BROKEN AND UNABLE TO MAINTAIN PROPER TEMPERATURE. BOTH ARE CURRENTLY NOT IN USE. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE BROKEN EQUIPMENT FROM PREMISES OR REPAIR ACCORDINGLY. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • MUST DETAIL CLEAN ALL HANDWASHING SINKS, THREE-COMPARTMENT SINKS, AND COOKING EQUIPMENT (INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR), AND MAINTAIN.
- ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO SELF-CLOSING DEVICE ON THE MEN AND WOMEN'S WASHROOM DOORS. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT ALL WASHROOM DOORS MUST BE COMPLETELY ENCLOSED AND PROVIDED WITH TIGHT FITTING AND SELF-CLOSING DOORS.Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO SELF-CLOSING DEVICE ON THE MEN AND WOMEN'S WASHROOM DOORS. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT ALL WASHROOM DOORS MUST BE COMPLETELY ENCLOSED AND PROVIDED WITH TIGHT FITTING AND SELF-CLOSING DOORS.
- ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED NO GARBAGE CAN IN THE MEN'S WASHROOM, THE BAR, AND THE KITCHEN. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A RECEPTACLE IN EACH ESTABLISHMENT AREA WHERE REFUSE IS GENERATED OR COMMONLY DISCARDED.Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED NO GARBAGE CAN IN THE MEN'S WASHROOM, THE BAR, AND THE KITCHEN. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A RECEPTACLE IN EACH ESTABLISHMENT AREA WHERE REFUSE IS GENERATED OR COMMONLY DISCARDED.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED DIRT AND DUST BUILD UP ON THE FLOORS THROUGHOUT THE KITCHEN, DISHWASHING ROOM, WASHROOMS, AND BASEMENT. MUST DETAIL CLEAN FLOORS IN SAID AREAS AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED EXCESSIVE CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ARTICLES STORED DIRECTLY OUTSIDE THE REAR EXIT DOOR AND THROUGHOUT THE BASEMENT AREAS. MUST REMOVE ALL ITEMS THAT ARE UNNECESSARY TO THE OPERATION, DETAIL CLEAN AREAS, AND ORGANIZE ALL REMAINING ITEMS, STORING OFF THE FLOOR TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FACILITY CLEANING. • OBSERVED A CEILING TILE MISSING IN THE KITCHEN AREA. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED BASE COVING MISSING INSIDE THE STORAGE BUILDING NEXT TO THE WALK-IN COOLER. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
When was Polk Street Bar last inspected?
Polk Street Bar has 1 inspection on record going back to May 23, 2023.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2023 | Fail |
Polk Street Bar vs Near West Side
Near West Side runs 72% clean across 2,033 tracked restaurants — 1,463 clean, 406 mid, 151 cooked.
Against the 2,033 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 6% 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 May 23, 2023. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.