The James

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations2
• last inspectedAugust 14, 2018
• address616 N Rush St, Chicago 60611

Is The James clean?

The James is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on August 14, 2018. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at The James?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 14, 2018, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • 2-501.11 NO BIOHAZARD CLEAN-UP KIT FOR VOMIT AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS ON PREMISES. INSTRUCTED MANAGER MUST PROVIDE SAID BIOHAZARD CLEAN-UP KIT ON PREMISES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • 6-301.14 NO EMPLOYEE HANDWASH SIGNS POSTED AT EMPLOYEES HANDWASH SINKS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER MUST POST EMPLOYEES HANDWASH SIGNS AT ALL EMPLOYEES HANDWASH BOWLS.
• 🧊food not cooled down right
  Proper Date Marking And Disposition • 3-501.17(D) INSTRUCTED MANAGER MUST PROVIDE SELL BY DATE/SHELF LIFE OF FOOD LABELED INSIDE COOLERS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 📄consumer advisory missing
  Consumer Advisory Provided For Raw/Undercooked Food • 3-603.11 NO REMINDER ON CONSUMER ADVISORY/MENUS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER MUST PROVIDE REMINDER ON CONSUMER ADVISORY/MENUS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • 4-601.11(C) OBSERVED DUST BUILD UP ON REAR OF DAIRY WALK IN COOLER CONDENSER. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.

When was The James last inspected?

The James has 3 inspections on record going back to July 3, 2018.

The James 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 9% of them.

Other spots in Near North Side

• ✓! The James
  mid · August 14, 2018
• ✓ Jimmy John's
  clean · April 10, 2025
• ✓ Starbuck's Coffee
  clean · August 23, 2022
• ✓ Subway
  clean · October 24, 2025
• ✓ Wonderoll
  clean · May 18, 2018
• ✓! Snow Dragon Shavery
  mid · August 31, 2022

See every restaurant inspection 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 August 14, 2018. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.