Cooked?
Spark Restaurant & Bar
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedNovember 16, 2021
- address4250 N Marine Dr, Chicago 60613
Is Spark Restaurant & Bar clean?
Spark Restaurant & Bar is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on November 16, 2021. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Spark Restaurant & Bar?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on November 16, 2021, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcriticalManagement, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • NOTED NO EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON-SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION FOLLOWING THE NEW CODE AND GUIDELINES. INSTRUCTED TO HAVE VERIFICATION OF POLICY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE ONE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION #7-38-010. NO CITATION ISSUED TODAY
- ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • NOTED SERVING PLATES ON SHELVES AT THE KITCHEN PREP AREA NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT ALL SERVING PLATES TO PREVENT DUST ACCUMULATION.In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • NOTED SERVING PLATES ON SHELVES AT THE KITCHEN PREP AREA NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT ALL SERVING PLATES TO PREVENT DUST ACCUMULATION.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • NOTED NO ONE COMPARTMENT SINK AT THE FRONT PREP AREA WHERE MIXING OF COFFEE AND PASTRIES ARE MADE AND SERVED. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A ONE-COMPARTMENT SINK.
- ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • NOTED WASH ROOMS ON PREMISE WITH GARBAGE RECEPTACLES AND NO LIDS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE TRASH CANS WITH LIDS AT ALL WOMEN WASH ROOMS AND UNISEX WASH ROOMS.Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • NOTED WASH ROOMS ON PREMISE WITH GARBAGE RECEPTACLES AND NO LIDS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE TRASH CANS WITH LIDS AT ALL WOMEN WASH ROOMS AND UNISEX WASH ROOMS.
- ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NOTED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT ALL EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THE FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES ON-SITE AT ALL TIMES AND ONE MONTH (30 DAYS) GRACE PERIOD FOR NEW HIRESAll Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NOTED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT ALL EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THE FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES ON-SITE AT ALL TIMES AND ONE MONTH (30 DAYS) GRACE PERIOD FOR NEW HIRES
- 🥜allergen training missingAllergen Training As Required • NOTED CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGERS ON DUTY WITH NO ALLERGEN TRAINING CERTIFICATION. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT ALL FOOD SERVICE MANAGERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE THE ALLERGEN TRAINING CERTIFICATION.
When was Spark Restaurant & Bar last inspected?
Spark Restaurant & Bar has 3 inspections on record going back to November 16, 2021.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| December 28, 2023 | closed by the city | |
| October 20, 2022 | — | |
| November 16, 2021 | Pass w/ Conditions |
Spark Restaurant & Bar vs Uptown
Uptown runs 62% clean across 725 tracked restaurants — 446 clean, 137 mid, 137 cooked.
Against the 725 spots Cooked tracks in Uptown, this one comes out cleaner than 26% of them.
Other spots in Uptown
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 16, 2021. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.