The Whale

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJune 12, 2025
• address2427-31 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago 60647

Is The Whale clean?

The Whale is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 12, 2025. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at The Whale?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 12, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED ALUMINUM FOIL USED AS LINER ON EQUIPMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED MILK CRATES BEING USED AS SHELVING THROUGHOUT THE STORAGE AREAS. MUST REMOVE AND PROVIDE SHELVING THAT IS 6" OFF THE FLOOR AND PROVIDES FLOOR ACCESSIBILITY TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FACILITY CLEANING.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED MISSING FLOOR GROUT, DAMAGED AND BROKEN FLOOR TILES IN ENTIRE FRONT & REAR PREP, DRY STORAGE, DISH AREA, AND DINING ROOM. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR TO CREATE A SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE. MUST MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED A BURNED-OUT LIGHT-BULB IN HOOD SYSTEM IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE BULB AND MAINTAIN LIGHTING IN THE UNIT.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED A BURNED-OUT LIGHT-BULB IN HOOD SYSTEM IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE BULB AND MAINTAIN LIGHTING IN THE UNIT.

When was The Whale last inspected?

The Whale has 9 inspections on record going back to March 6, 2019.

The Whale vs Logan Square

Logan Square runs 42% clean across 1,321 tracked restaurants — 555 clean, 142 mid, 612 cooked.

Against the 1,321 spots Cooked tracks in Logan Square, this one comes out cleaner than 59% of them.

Other spots in Logan Square

• ✓ The Whale
  clean · June 25, 2019
• ✓ Cermak Produce No.4
  clean · March 10, 2020
• ✓ Pizza Hut
  clean · May 30, 2025
• ✓! The Moonlighter
  mid · February 21, 2020
• ✓! The Moonlighter
  mid · February 21, 2020
• ✓! The Welcome Back Lounge
  mid · January 21, 2020

See every restaurant inspection in Logan Square →

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 June 12, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.