Cooked?
The Cafe
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedJuly 12, 2024
- address211 E Chicago Ave, Chicago 60611
Is The Cafe clean?
The Cafe is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 12, 2024. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at The Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 12, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED CLEAN, LAUNDERED LINENS STORED IN DRY FOOD CONTAINER WITH DRY FOOD RESIDUE AND BEVERAGE CONDENSATION ON LINEN BAG. INSTRUCTED TO RELOCATE CLEAN LINEN BAG AND STORE CLEAN LINENS IN A LOCATION THAT DOES NOT POSE RISK OF CONTAMINATION FROM DRY FOOD OR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS AND MAINTAIN.Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED CLEAN, LAUNDERED LINENS STORED IN DRY FOOD CONTAINER WITH DRY FOOD RESIDUE AND BEVERAGE CONDENSATION ON LINEN BAG. INSTRUCTED TO RELOCATE CLEAN LINEN BAG AND STORE CLEAN LINENS IN A LOCATION THAT DOES NOT POSE RISK OF CONTAMINATION FROM DRY FOOD OR BEVERAGE CONTAINERS AND MAINTAIN.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED ALUMINUM FOIL USED TO LINE NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT (SALAMANDER OVEN) IN THE KITCHEN AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ALUMINUM FOIL AND MAINTAIN NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT SMOOTH AND EASILY-CLEANABLE.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED EXTERIOR NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT TO BE SOILED: DRIED FOOD DEBRIS ON EXTERIOR OF MICROWAVE IN THE KITCHEN AREA, RUST AND DUST DEBRIS ON EXTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE IN THE WAREWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF EQUIPMENT AT ADEQUATE FREQUENCY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF SOIL AND MAINTAIN.
When was The Cafe last inspected?
The Cafe has 13 inspections on record going back to November 18, 2011. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| June 12, 2025 | — | |
| July 12, 2024 | Pass | |
| December 15, 2023 | Pass | |
| March 30, 2022 | — | |
| November 21, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 14, 2018 | Pass | |
| June 6, 2017 | Pass | |
| August 4, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 17, 2015 | Pass | |
| July 23, 2014 | Pass | |
| October 15, 2013 | Pass | |
| November 29, 2012 | Pass |
The Cafe vs Near North Side
Near North Side runs 75% clean across 2,889 tracked restaurants — 2,147 clean, 530 mid, 203 cooked.
Against the 2,889 spots Cooked tracks in Near North Side, this one comes out cleaner than 49% of them.
Other spots in Near North 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 July 12, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.