The Drunken Bean

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedOctober 6, 2025
• address400 E South Water St, Chicago 60601

Is The Drunken Bean clean?

The Drunken Bean is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on October 6, 2025. 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 The Drunken Bean?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 6, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT HANDWASHING SINK IN FACILITY. OBSEVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT HANDWASHING SINK IN LOBBY ALL GENDER WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO POST CLEARLY VISIBLE SIGNAGE AT ALL HANDWASHING SINKS USED BY FOOD EMPLOYEES THAT NOTIFIES FOOD EMPLOYEES TO WASH THEIR HANDS.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED COLD TCS FOODS, HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES RANGING BETWEEN 45.5-77.5F. OBSERVED COLD TCS FOODS, CHICKEN(45.9F), PASTA(55.6-60.6F), PORK(56.5F), HAM(63.3F), BEEF(53.4F), CHEESE(45.5-51.8F), PROSCIUTTO(76.3F), BACON(57.9F), GARLIC IN OIL(54.9F), MARINARA SAUCE(50.2F), HEAVY CREAM((52.3F), BUTTER(56.5F), COOKED EGGPLANT(51.1F), PEPPERONI(46.0F), ALFREDO SAUCE(52.0F), SLICED TOMATOES(51.0-53.1F),DICED TOMATOES(54.5-55.0F), SALAD MIX CONTAINING ARGULA, SPINACH AND MESCUL(47.3-49.6F), RAW EGGS IN SHELL(56.7-77.5F), CUT UP ROMAINE(52.2F), PICO DE GALLO CONTAINS DICED TOMATOES(49.3F) AND CHICKEN SALAD (50.0F) HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURE. INSTRUCTED ALL COLD TCS FOOD MUST BE HELD AT 41F OR BELOW. CORRECTED ON SITE MANAGER VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENATURED FOOD VALUED AT $250 WEIGHING 40LBS. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED COLD HOLDING UNITS IN FACILITY AT IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURES RANGING BETWEEN 47.5-52.2F. OBSERVED TWO DOOR COLD HOLDING UNIT IN MIDDLE PREP AREA AT IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 47.5F AND OBSERVED TWO DRAWER COLD HOLDING UNIT IN MIDDLE PREP AREA AT IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 52.2F. INSTRUCTED ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS MUST BE MAINTAINED AT 41F OR BELOW. CORRECTED ON SITE HELD FOR INSPECTION TAG PLACED ON TWO DOOR COLD HOLDING UNIT IN MIDDLE PREP AREA. AT TIME OF RECENT INSPECTION ON 10/8/2025 TWO DRAWER COLD HOLDING UNIT REPLACED WITH ONE DOOR COLD HOLDING UNIT AT PROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 30.2F. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED DUST COATED BLACK FAN MOUNTED ON WALL NEAR ENTRANCE TO PREP AREAS IN REAR, FACING TOWARDS COLD HOLDING UNITS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FAN IN SAID AREA TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF FOOD.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED DUST COATED BLACK FAN MOUNTED ON WALL NEAR ENTRANCE TO PREP AREAS IN REAR, FACING TOWARDS COLD HOLDING UNITS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FAN IN SAID AREA TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF FOOD.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED BOXES STORED ON FLOOR ALONG WALL LEADING TO REAR PREP/DISHWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SHELVING UNITS TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD AND NONFOOD ITEMS AT LEAST SIX INCHES OFF OF FLOOR. OBSERVED BOX OF OIL STORED ON MILK CRATE IN REAR NEXT TO PREP TABLE NEAR REAR EXIT. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SHELVING TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD AND NON FOOD ITEMS AT LEAST SIX INCHES OFF OF FLOOR FOR EASE OF CLEANABILITY.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER WASHROOM IN LOBBY. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER WASHROOM IN LOBBY FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER WASHROOM IN LOBBY. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER WASHROOM IN LOBBY FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED BAGS AND SWEAT SHIRT STORED ON BOTTOM SHELF OF PREP TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE SAID ITEMS FROM UNDERNEATH PREP TABLE AND INSTRUCTED TO STORE EMPLOYEE CLOTHING AND OTHER POSSESSIONS IN OTHER SUITABLE AREA OF FACILITY FOR THE ORDERLY STORAGE OF EMPLOYEE CLOTHING AND POSSESSIONS.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED BAGS AND SWEAT SHIRT STORED ON BOTTOM SHELF OF PREP TABLE. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE SAID ITEMS FROM UNDERNEATH PREP TABLE AND INSTRUCTED TO STORE EMPLOYEE CLOTHING AND OTHER POSSESSIONS IN OTHER SUITABLE AREA OF FACILITY FOR THE ORDERLY STORAGE OF EMPLOYEE CLOTHING AND POSSESSIONS.

When was The Drunken Bean last inspected?

The Drunken Bean has 16 inspections on record going back to June 12, 2017. The 12 most recent are shown below.

The Drunken Bean vs Loop

Loop runs 44% clean across 3,616 tracked restaurants — 1,566 clean, 332 mid, 1,687 cooked.

Against the 3,616 spots Cooked tracks in Loop, this one comes out cleaner than 50% of them.

Other spots in Loop

• ✓ Tsukiji Fish Market
  cooked · February 21, 2020
• ✓ The Drunken Bean
  clean · October 3, 2017
• ✓ Poke Poke
  clean · April 27, 2026
• ✓ Himalayan Restaurant
  clean · March 3, 2026
• ✓ Dunkin Donuts
  cooked · September 12, 2017
• ✓ Dunkin Donuts
  cooked · July 27, 2017

See every restaurant inspection in Loop →

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 October 6, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.