Sonny's Cafe/Saic

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJune 24, 2026
• address280 S Columbus Dr, Chicago 60603

Is Sonny's Cafe/Saic clean?

Sonny's Cafe/Saic is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 24, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Sonny's Cafe/Saic?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 24, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • MUST REPLACE BURNTOUT LIGHT AT HOOD OF COOKING EQUIPMENT.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • MUST REPLACE BURNTOUT LIGHT AT HOOD OF COOKING EQUIPMENT.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • MUST PROVIDE FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING FOR ALL EMPLOYEES AND MAINTAIN.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • MUST PROVIDE FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING FOR ALL EMPLOYEES AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • MUST REMOVE PLASTIC AND TAPE FROM WALLS SURROUNDING OUTLETS SO WALL SURFACES MAY BE SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE BEHIND COOKING EQUIPMENT.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED HOT RUNNING WATER TEMPERATURE AT HAND SINKS IN BOTH GENDER TOILET ROOMS 231-71.1F(RIGHT SIDE) AND 230-70.2F(LEFT SIDE) AND OTHER ONES NOT OPERABLE,ALSO HAND WASHING SINK IN PREP AREA IS CLOGGED AND WATER HAS BEEN SHUT OFF.INSTRUCTED TO USE 1- COMPARTMENT SINK FOR HAND WASHING,PROVIDE SOAP & TOWELS.MUST HAVE HOT RUNNING WATER AT 100.0F AND MAINTAIN.MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.(PRIORITY 7-38-030(C)(CITATION ISSUED)
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST ELEVATE BOXED FOOD ITEMS FROM FLOOR IN CORNER NEAR 1- DOOR REACH IN COOLER AND OFFICE TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST ELEVATE BOXED FOOD ITEMS FROM FLOOR IN CORNER NEAR 1- DOOR REACH IN COOLER AND OFFICE TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • MUST REMOVE FOIL FROM 3- DOOR PREP COOLER ON LINE TO BE SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM GRILL TABLE,HOT HOLDING CABINET.MUST DEFROST EXCESSIVE ICE FROM ICE CREAM CHEST FREEZER.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE COLD WATER FAUCET HAS A HEAVY SPRAYING LEAK FROM HANDLE.

When was Sonny's Cafe/Saic last inspected?

Sonny's Cafe/Saic has 3 inspections on record going back to July 23, 2024.

Sonny's Cafe/Saic vs Loop

Loop runs 44% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 1,566 clean, 332 mid, 1,687 cooked.

Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 46% of them.

Other spots in Loop

• ✓! Saic Cafe
  mid · April 13, 2026
• ✓! Cocobar
  mid · July 22, 2024
• ✓ Coffee Bar
  clean · August 6, 2024
• ✓! Bliss Bowls Acai
  mid · August 7, 2024
• ✓ Eaves Cocktail Cafe
  clean · June 24, 2025
• ✓ Eaves Cocktail Cafe
  clean · June 24, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Loop →

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 June 24, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.