Samantha's Restaurant & Cafe

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations4
• last inspectedDecember 17, 2021
• address5549 W Belmont Ave, Chicago 60641

Is Samantha's Restaurant & Cafe clean?

Samantha's Restaurant & Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on December 17, 2021. Inspectors wrote up 4 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Samantha's Restaurant & Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 17, 2021, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON THE PREMISES AND NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER CERTIFICATE POSTED ON SITE.INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE THAT A CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER MUST BE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES (TCS FOODS) ARE PREPARED,HANDLED, AND OR SERVED.INSTRUCTED TO COMPLY AND POST ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES.(NO TCS FOODS IN THE PREMISES AT THIS TIME OF INSPECTION).PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012,NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • OBSERVED NO WRITTEN EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON THE PREMISES.INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT TO PROVIDE A SIGNED EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010.
• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • FOUND NO PROCEDURE/PLAN FOR RESPONDING TO VOMITING AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN REQUIRED PROCEDURE/PLAN AND APPROPRIATE SUPPLIES OR KIT. (NECESSARY ITEMS AT A MINIMUM: GLOVES, FACE MASKS, DISPOSABLE MOPS AND APPROPRIATE SANITIZER/SPRAY THAT IS EFFECTIVE AGAINST NOROVIRUS). PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT TO PROVIDE A HANDWASHING SINK ACCESSIBLE TO THE FRONT AND REAR BAR AREAS WITH HOT AND COLD RUNNING WATER, SUPPLIED WITH SOAP AND HAND PAPERTOWELS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C).
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE NOT LOCATED AT KITCHEN ICE MACHINE. MUST INSTALL SO BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE MAY BE LOCATED TO BE SERVICED AND MAINTAINED.
• ⚠️Sewage & Waste Water Properly Disposed • INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL GREASE TRAP BOX/INTERCEPTOR CONNECTED UNDERNEATH KITCHEN 3-COMPARTMENT SINK.
  Sewage & Waste Water Properly Disposed • INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL GREASE TRAP BOX/INTERCEPTOR CONNECTED UNDERNEATH KITCHEN 3-COMPARTMENT SINK.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE PROVIDED IN THE WOMEN WASHROOM.MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE PROVIDED IN THE WOMEN WASHROOM.MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE BURNT-OUT LIGHT BULBS IN KITCHEN AREA AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL TIMES.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE BURNT-OUT LIGHT BULBS IN KITCHEN AREA AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL TIMES.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES PROVIDED ON THE PREMISES. MUST SHOW PROOF OF TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEES.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES PROVIDED ON THE PREMISES. MUST SHOW PROOF OF TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEES.
• ⚠️Summary Report Displayed And Visible To The Public • PREVIOUS INSPECTION REPORT SUMMARY FROM (01/24/2017) WAS NOT DISPLAYED FOR THE PUBLIC TO VIEW.TODAY'S INSPECTION REPORT SUMMARY WAS ISSUED AND MUST BE DISPLAYED AND VISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AT ALL TIMES.PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-42-010 (B).
  Summary Report Displayed And Visible To The Public • PREVIOUS INSPECTION REPORT SUMMARY FROM (01/24/2017) WAS NOT DISPLAYED FOR THE PUBLIC TO VIEW.TODAY'S INSPECTION REPORT SUMMARY WAS ISSUED AND MUST BE DISPLAYED AND VISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AT ALL TIMES.PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-42-010 (B).

When was Samantha's Restaurant & Cafe last inspected?

Samantha's Restaurant & Cafe has 8 inspections on record going back to September 27, 2013.

Samantha's Restaurant & Cafe vs Belmont Cragin

Belmont Cragin runs 60% clean across 787 tracked restaurants — 470 clean, 175 mid, 137 cooked.

Against the 787 spots Cooked tracks in Belmont Cragin, this one comes out cleaner than 18% of them.

Other spots in Belmont Cragin

• ✓ Grota Restaurant
  clean · May 29, 2026
• ✓ Carniceria Santiago Papasquiaro
  clean · December 16, 2010
• ✓ John's Poultry Market
  clean · April 30, 2013
• ✓! Zacatecas Restaurant
  mid · October 10, 2019
• ✓ Le Jardin
  clean · June 3, 2025
• ✓! D'cuba Restaurant
  mid · January 29, 2019

See every restaurant inspection in Belmont Cragin →

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 17, 2021. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.