Cooked?
Stax Cafe
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedFebruary 18, 2026
- address1401 W Taylor St, Chicago 60607
Is Stax Cafe clean?
Stax Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 18, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Stax Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 18, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • THE FOLLOWING TCS FOODS BEING STORED UNREFRIGERATED IN MAIN PREP AREA: LARGE CONTAINER OF PAR COOKED POTATOES ON COUNTER IN PREP AREA AT IMPROPER HOLDING TEMPERATURE OF 65.9F. LARGE BAG OF SPINACH ON COUNTER AT IMPROPER HOLDING TEMPERATURE 55.6F. ALL DISCARDED AND DENATURED AT THIS TIME. APPROX 10LBS $20 VALUE. INSTD TO MAINTAIN COLD FOODS AT 41F OR BELOW AT ALL TIMES. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-005 PRIORITY
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • RUSTY SURFACES ON WIRE RACKS IN WALK IN COOLER. INSTD TO REMOVE RUST AND MAINTAIN
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • EXPOSED INSULATION ON VENT SYSTEM ABOVE WAREWASHING UNIT. INSTD TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN SURFACE SMOOTH, EVEN, AND EASILY CLEANABLE
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • DIM LIGHT IN WALK IN COOLER. INSTD TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING AND MAINTAINAdequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • DIM LIGHT IN WALK IN COOLER. INSTD TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING AND MAINTAIN
When was Stax Cafe last inspected?
Stax Cafe has 26 inspections on record going back to July 9, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 18, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 16, 2025 | Pass | |
| April 9, 2025 | Fail | |
| March 5, 2024 | Pass | |
| March 13, 2023 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| June 13, 2022 | Pass | |
| June 9, 2022 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| September 21, 2021 | Pass | |
| January 23, 2020 | Pass | |
| January 25, 2019 | Pass | |
| January 14, 2019 | Fail | |
| April 16, 2018 | Pass |
Stax Cafe vs Near West Side
Near West Side runs 72% clean across 2,033 tracked restaurants — 1,463 clean, 406 mid, 151 cooked.
Against the 2,033 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 19% of them.
Other spots in Near West Side
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 February 18, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.