Tai Wah Grocery

• resultFail
• critical violations2
• last inspectedJune 10, 2024
• address2226 S Wentworth Ave, Chicago 60616
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is Tai Wah Grocery clean?

Tai Wah Grocery is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 10, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Tai Wah Grocery?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 10, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚿water/temperature at the sink offcritical
  No Bare Hand Contact With Rte Food Or A Pre-Approved Alternative Procedure Properly Allowed • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS CUTTING PORK AND SERVING IT FOR TOGO ORDERS FOR CONSUMERS WITH BARE HANDS. MUST USE GLOVES OR OTHER ALTERNATIVE APPROVED METHODS WHEN HANDLING READY TO EAT FOOD AND PRODUCTS. PRODUCT VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-010, CITATION ISSUED
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT THE HANDWASHING SINKS IN ALL PREP AND DISHWASHING AREAS AND IN THE TOILET ROOM. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • OBSERVED THE COLD HOLDING UNIT AT THE FRONT PREP AREA WITH NO AMBIENT AIR THERMOMETER. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY 150 MICE DROPPINGS AND APPROXIMATELY 10 SMALL FLIES IN THE REAR FOOD PREP/DISHWASHING AREA. ON SITE DURING THE INSPECTION. THE FOLLOWING FLOORS AND SURFACES WERE OBSERVED WITH MICE DROPPINGS: UNDER THE EQUIPMENT IN THE FAR REAR FOOD PREP AREA, ON THE STAIRS LEADING TO THE BASEMENT, SURROUND THE HOT WATER TANK IN THE BASEMENT, ON THE WALLBASES BEHIND THE SHELVING UNITS IN THE BASEMENT, TOP OF THE BOXES OF PRODUCT IN THE BASEMENT, AND ON THE SHELVES WITH THE PREPACKAGED ITEMS IN THE AISLES. INSTRUCTED TO ELIMINATE SMALL FLY ACTIVITY, REMOVE MICE DROPPINGS, CLEAN AND SANITIZE AFFECTED AREAS AND RECOMMENDED CONTACTING PEST CONTROL FOR A SERVICE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-020 (A), CITATION ISSUED
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED THE INTERIOR OF THE COLD HOLDING UNITS, THE SHELVING UNITS UNDER THE FOOD PREP TABLES IN THE PREP AREAS, AND THE OUTERIOR OF THE FREEZER CHESTS ON THE MAIN LEVEL IN NEED OF CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED THE TOILET SEATS IN THE EMPLOYEE TOILET ROOM IN NEED OF CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED THE TOILET SEATS IN THE EMPLOYEE TOILET ROOM IN NEED OF CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED THE EXCESSIVE USE OF CARDBOARD BOXES ON THE FLOORS, SHELVES UNDER THE FOOD PREP TABLES, AND STACKS STORED ALONG THE WALL IN THE FRONT SHOPPING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE CARDBOARD BOXES AND MAINTAIN.

When was Tai Wah Grocery last inspected?

Tai Wah Grocery has 19 inspections on record going back to January 12, 2011. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Tai Wah Grocery vs Armour Square

Armour Square runs 75% clean across 644 tracked restaurants — 481 clean, 114 mid, 46 cooked.

Against the 644 spots Cooked tracks in Armour Square, this one comes out cleaner than 4% of them.

Other spots in Armour Square

• ✓ Lowcountry
  clean · October 20, 2025
• ✓ Lowcountry
  clean · August 24, 2021
• ✓ Magonglapo
  clean · June 3, 2026
• ✓ Big Boss Spicy Fried Chicken
  clean · September 12, 2024
• ✓ King Ktv
  clean · November 24, 2025
• ✓ King Ktv
  clean · January 27, 2022

See every restaurant inspection in Armour Square →

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 10, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.