Cooked?
Salt Shed
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedNovember 4, 2025
- address1357 N Elston Ave, Chicago 60642
Is Salt Shed clean?
Salt Shed is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on November 4, 2025. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.
What did inspectors find at Salt Shed?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on November 4, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧽surfaces not properly sanitizedFood-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • Low temp dish machine at the bar area not sanitizing at final rinse, 0ppm obtained on Cl test strips, machine being used during inspection. Instructed manager to provide proper sanitizer concentration at final rinse. Priority violation 7-38-025.
- 🧪toxic chemicals mishandledCompliance With Variance/Specialized Process/Haccp • OBSERVED NO VARIANCE OR HACCP ON SITE FOR ROP. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005. NO CITATION ISSUED. COMBINED WITH VIOLATION#32
- ⚠️Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • No variance on site for using ROP machine. found several vacuumed package food items in walk-in cooler and freezer, Instructed manager to discontinue using machine until a variance from CDPH is obtained. Priority foundation violation 7-38-005. machine is tagged.Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • No variance on site for using ROP machine. found several vacuumed package food items in walk-in cooler and freezer, Instructed manager to discontinue using machine until a variance from CDPH is obtained. Priority foundation violation 7-38-005. machine is tagged.
- 🏷️food improperly labeledFood Properly Labeled; Original Container • Bulk food container not labeled ( salt ) instructed to label.
- ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • Food handler not wearing hair restraints in kitchen, Instructed to wear.Personal Cleanliness • Food handler not wearing hair restraints in kitchen, Instructed to wear.
- ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • Deli cups not air dried after washing, instructed top air dry all multi-use utensils.Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • Deli cups not air dried after washing, instructed top air dry all multi-use utensils.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • Mop sink next to clean utensils rack, Instructed to install a barrier.
When was Salt Shed last inspected?
Salt Shed has 3 inspections on record going back to December 31, 2024.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| July 8, 2026 | closed by the city | |
| November 4, 2025 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| December 31, 2024 | Pass |
Salt Shed 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 0% 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 November 4, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.