Protein Bar

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJanuary 7, 2026
• address1953 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago 60614

Is Protein Bar clean?

Protein Bar is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 7, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Protein Bar?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 7, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • ALL BULK FOODS NOT STORED IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINERS MUST BE LABELED WITH THE PRODUCT COMMON NAME.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • FOOD SCOOPS BEING STORED INSIDE THE FOOD MUST BE STORED WITH HANDLES INVERT FROM THE FOODS. MANAGER CORRECTED DURING THE INSPECTION. • NOTED THE TABLE TOP CAN OPENER WITH ENCRUSTED FOOD DEBRIS AND EXCESSIVE RUST. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN, REMOVE RUST OR REPLACE.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • FOOD SCOOPS BEING STORED INSIDE THE FOOD MUST BE STORED WITH HANDLES INVERT FROM THE FOODS. MANAGER CORRECTED DURING THE INSPECTION. • NOTED THE TABLE TOP CAN OPENER WITH ENCRUSTED FOOD DEBRIS AND EXCESSIVE RUST. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN, REMOVE RUST OR REPLACE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • NOTED SOME EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE METAL RACK SHELVING INSIDE THE WALK-IN COOLER. MUST REMOVE RUST, RESEAL OR REPLACE.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • NOTED DIRTY FLOOR DRAINS IN THE FRONT AND REAR PREP AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • EMPLOYEES PERSONAL BELONGINGS MUST NOT BE STORED IN FOOD PREP/FOOD CONTACT AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEES BELONGINGS AWAY FROM PREPARED FOODS.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • EMPLOYEES PERSONAL BELONGINGS MUST NOT BE STORED IN FOOD PREP/FOOD CONTACT AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A DESIGNATED AREA FOR EMPLOYEES BELONGINGS AWAY FROM PREPARED FOODS.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NOTED EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATE FOR EMPLOYEE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE UPDATED PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NOTED EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATE FOR EMPLOYEE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE UPDATED PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING.

When was Protein Bar last inspected?

Protein Bar has 16 inspections on record going back to January 14, 2014. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Protein Bar vs Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park runs 67% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 1,089 clean, 360 mid, 187 cooked.

Against the 1,649 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Park, this one comes out cleaner than 36% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Park

• ✓! Le Pain Quotidien
  mid · January 7, 2020
• ✓ Le Pain Quotidien
  clean · June 3, 2014
• ✓ Parlay Lincoln Park
  clean · August 21, 2025
• ✓ Barn & Company
  clean · April 3, 2014
• ✓ Kameya
  clean · April 29, 2014
• ✓ Real Good Juice Co.
  clean · November 9, 2022

See every restaurant inspection in Lincoln Park →

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 7, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.