Thorndale West Cafe #1

• resultFail
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJuly 5, 2024
• address1124 W Thorndale Ave, Chicago 60660

Is Thorndale West Cafe #1 clean?

Thorndale West Cafe #1 is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 5, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Thorndale West Cafe #1?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 5, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • HAND SOAP STOCKED AT MOP SINK. MUST REMOVE HAND SOAP FROM MOP SINK AND WASH HANDS ONLY AT HAND SINKS.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • FOUND A KITCHEN PREP COOLER TURNED OFF, NOT IN USE NOR FOOD INSIDE. NOT ABLE TO MAINATIN ADEQUATE TEMPERATURE. TAGGED UNIT "HELD FOR INSPECTION" MUST REPAIR AND MAINTAIN 41F AND BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION: 7-38-005.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • WE OBSERVED NUMEROUS, LIVE COCKROACHES THROUGHOUT THE PREMISES: INSIDE WHITE REACH-IN FREEZER BY HINGES AND RUBBER GASKET, BEHIND THE COUNTER BETWEEN PANELS AT COFFEE AREA UNDER THE COUNTERTOP, AT DISHROOM AREA, INSIDE THE UNUSED COOLER, CRAWLING ON WALLS AND FLOOR IN FOOD PREPARATION AND UTENSIL WASHING AREAS. OBSERVED LIVE ROACHES INSIDE THE PEST CONTROL LOG BOOK AND ON TOP OF THE TABLE WHERE SANITARIAN WAS WRITING THE REPORT. APPROXIMATELY 100 ROACHES ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO ELIMINATE ROACHES, CLEAN AND SANITIZE AREAS, UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT. HAVE PREMISES SERVICED BY A LICENSED PEST CONTROL COMPANY. PRIORITY VIOLATION: 7-38-020(A), CITATION ISSUED. • REMOVE DEAD ROACHES THROUGHOUT THE PREMISES INCLUDING INSIDE FRAMES, COOLERS, MICROWAVE ETC. CLEAN AND SANITIZE, REMOVE ALL DEAD ROACHES.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OPENINGS AT WOOD PANELS UNDER THE FRONT COUNTER MUST BE SEALED TO PREVENT ROACH HARBORAGE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • DISHMACHINE WITH MINERAL BUILD-UP.CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • WATER PIPE BEHIND THE FAUCET AT SCRAPE SINK AND THREE COMPARTMENT SINK IN POOR REPAIR, CONTINUOSLY LEAKING. REPAIR ISSUE.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • EXCESS WATER ON FLOOR IN DISHROOM AREA.KEEP AREA DRY AND CLEAN. • CLUTTER, UNNECESSARY ITEMS, UNUSED UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT ON THE FLOOR ALONG THE WEST WALL. MUST REMOVE ITEMS FROM THE AREA AND STORE ALL ELSE TO FACILITATE CLEANING AND TO PREVENT PEST HARBORAGE. • BROKEN CEILING AT FRONT PREP AREA BY THE WHITE REACH-IN FREEZER MUST BE SEALED.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • ALLERGEN TRAINING CERTIFICATE EXPIRED INSTRUCTED TO RENEW. VALID ONLY FOR THREE YEARS ONLY.

When was Thorndale West Cafe #1 last inspected?

Thorndale West Cafe #1 has 22 inspections on record going back to May 22, 2014. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Thorndale West Cafe #1 vs Edgewater

Edgewater runs 64% clean across 997 tracked restaurants — 633 clean, 186 mid, 172 cooked.

Against the 997 spots Cooked tracks in Edgewater, this one comes out cleaner than 15% of them.

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• ✓ Rambler Express
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• ✓! Papa John's Pizza
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See every restaurant inspection in Edgewater →

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 5, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.