Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedApril 8, 2019
• address2011 W North Ave, Chicago 60647

Is Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret clean?

Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 8, 2019. 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 Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 8, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • OBSERVED INCOMPLETE EMPLOYEES HEALTH POLICY .MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.(PRIORITY FOUNDATION-NO CITATION ISSUED)
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • MUST LABEL FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WHEN FOOD IS NOT IN ORIGINAL PACKAGE.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED AN APPX."1/2" GAP IN CENTER OF FRONT DOUBLE ENTRY DOORS.MUST MAKE TIGHT FITTING.
• ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • MUST INVERT MULTIUSE UTENSILS ON DISH STORAGE SHELF.
  Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • MUST INVERT MULTIUSE UTENSILS ON DISH STORAGE SHELF.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • MUST APPLY A SEALANT OR PAINT RAW WOOD SHELVING UNIT IN BASEMENT.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE LEAKY FAUCET AT PREP AREA 3- COMPARTMENT SINK.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • MUST PROVIDE LIDS FOR GARBAGE CANS IN WOMEN'S TOILET ROOMS
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • MUST PROVIDE LIDS FOR GARBAGE CANS IN WOMEN'S TOILET ROOMS
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE BASEMENT WOMEN'S TOILET STALL DOOR IN POOR REPAIR. • MUST CLEAN DEBRIS BUILD UP FROM FLOOR IN BASEMENT REAR STORAGE AND TOOL ROOM. • MUST SEAL ALL OPENINGS AROUND PIPES LEADING INTO CEILINGS IN PREP AREA. • MUST ELEVATE,REMOVE AND ORGANIZE ARTICLES OFF OF FLOOR AND AWAY FROM WALLS IN BASEMENT REAR STORAGE AREA AND TOOL ROOM.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO IDPH FOOD HANDLERS CERTIFICATES FOR EMPLOYEES.MUST ENROLL AND MAINTAIN.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO IDPH FOOD HANDLERS CERTIFICATES FOR EMPLOYEES.MUST ENROLL AND MAINTAIN.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED NO FOOD ALLERGEN CERTIFICATE FOR FOOD MANAGERS.MUT PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.

When was Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret last inspected?

Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret has 12 inspections on record going back to May 10, 2010.

Subterranean Cafe & Cabaret 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 14% of them.

Other spots in West Town

• ✓ Big Red Star
  clean · November 13, 2012
• ✓! Sportsmans Club
  mid · September 20, 2019
• ? Tommys Rock & Roll Cafe
  cooked · November 1, 2012
• ✓ Uncle Mike's Place
  clean · August 13, 2025
• ✓ Shell
  clean · August 11, 2020
• ? Ezuli, L.L.C
  cooked · July 18, 2013

See every restaurant inspection 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 April 8, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.