Cooked?
The Second City
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMay 14, 2026
- address1608-1616 N Wells St, Chicago 60614
Is The Second City clean?
The Second City is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 14, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at The Second City?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 14, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED STANDING WATER ON FLOOR UNDERNEATH 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO CORRECT AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDIITON.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED HEAVY BUILD UP OF FOOD DEBRIS AND GRIME ON EXTERIOR OF HIGH TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 1 MISSING LIGHTBULB IN HOOD OVER COOK LINE. INSTRUCTED TO CORRECT AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION. • OBSERVED BUILD UP OF DUST ON CEILING ABOVE HIGH TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE. INSTRUCTED TO CELAN AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 1 MISSING LIGHTBULB IN HOOD OVER COOK LINE. INSTRUCTED TO CORRECT AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION. • OBSERVED BUILD UP OF DUST ON CEILING ABOVE HIGH TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE. INSTRUCTED TO CELAN AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
When was The Second City last inspected?
The Second City has 10 inspections on record going back to March 3, 2016.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2026 | Pass | |
| June 26, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 28, 2025 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 8, 2024 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| October 11, 2022 | Pass | |
| September 27, 2021 | closed by the city | |
| April 11, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 12, 2018 | Pass | |
| April 12, 2017 | Pass | |
| March 3, 2016 | Pass |
The Second City vs Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park runs 67% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 1,089 clean, 360 mid, 187 cooked.
Against the 1,649 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Park, this one comes out cleaner than 36% of them.
Other spots in Lincoln 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 May 14, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.