Cooked?
Taste Bud
- resultPass
- critical violations1
- last inspectedFebruary 18, 2026
- address4123 W Madison St, Chicago 60624
Is Taste Bud clean?
Taste Bud is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 18, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Taste Bud?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 18, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNS AT HANDWASHING SINKS INSIDE WASHROOMS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE HANDWASHING SIGNS AT ALL HANDWASHING SINKS USED BY EMPLOYEES.
- 🪳pests in the houseInsects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED 1/4" GAP AT BOTTOM AND LEFT CORNER OF FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO SEAL ALL OUTER OPENINGS ON DOOR TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY.
- ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED DISPOSABLE CUPS STORED ON FLOOR AND DISPOSABLE UTENSILS NOT INVERTED. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE AND INVERT ALL SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED DISPOSABLE CUPS STORED ON FLOOR AND DISPOSABLE UTENSILS NOT INVERTED. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ELEVATE AND INVERT ALL SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED SOILED WATER IN MOP PAIL AND MOP HEADS STORED ON FLOOR. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REMOVE ALL SOILED WATER AND HANG MOP HEADS TO DRY TO PREVENT INSECT BREEDING. • OBSERVED DEBRIS ON FLOOR ALONG WALLS AND CORNERS IN PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED OPENINGS ALONG CEILING IN DRY STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO SEAL ALL OPENINGS AND MAINTAIN.
When was Taste Bud last inspected?
Taste Bud has 12 inspections on record going back to September 2, 2010.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 18, 2026 | Pass | |
| July 2, 2020 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| August 26, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 6, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 28, 2016 | Fail | |
| July 13, 2015 | Pass | |
| June 29, 2015 | Fail | |
| October 27, 2014 | Pass | |
| November 7, 2013 | Pass | |
| November 4, 2013 | Fail | |
| January 17, 2012 | Pass | |
| September 2, 2010 | Pass |
Taste Bud vs West Garfield Park
West Garfield Park runs 69% clean across 620 tracked restaurants — 424 clean, 107 mid, 85 cooked.
Against the 620 spots Cooked tracks in West Garfield Park, this one comes out cleaner than 31% of them.
Other spots in West Garfield Park
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.