Tobacco Road

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedApril 23, 2019
• address2249 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60614

Is Tobacco Road clean?

Tobacco Road is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on April 23, 2019. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.

What did inspectors find at Tobacco Road?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 23, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HAND WASHING SIGNAGE AT ALL HAN WASHING SINKS ON SITE. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE HAND SIGNAGE. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🧊food not cooled down right
  Proper Date Marking And Disposition • OBSERVED READY TO EAT/TIME AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOODS STORED IN COLD HOLDING UNITS WITHOUT DATE MARKING, SLICED CHEESE, DRESSINGS, ETC.. STORED IN ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS, OVER NIGHT, WITHOUT DATE MARKED TO INDICATE THE DATE THE FOOD MUST BE SOLD, DISCARDED OR CONSUMED WITHIN 7 DAYS. INFORMED MANAGER THAT TIME AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOODS STORED FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS MUST HAVE PROPER LABEL AND DATE. INSTRUCTED TO DATE MARK ALL READY TO EAT TCS FOODS HELD MORE THAN 24HOURS. MANAGER CORRECTED VIOLATION DURING INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 📄consumer advisory missing
  Consumer Advisory Provided For Raw/Undercooked Food • OBSERVED NO CONSUMER ADVISORY DISCLOSURE/REMINDER INDICATED ON MENU OF RAW/UNDER COOKED FOODS, FOR CUSTOMER VIEW. INFORMED MANAGER THAT THE DISCLOSURE/REMINDER STATEMENT AND INDICATOR MUST BE IN PLAIN VIEW OF THE CUSTOMER, INDICATED ON MENU OF RAW/UNDER COOKED FOODS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE CONSUMER ADVISORY SIGNAGE, DISCLOSURE/REMINDER INDICATED. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION # 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED NO SPLASH GUARD ON RIGHT SIDE OF HAND SINK ADJACENT TO WASH SINK AT 3 COMPARTMENT SINK AREA AT 2ND FLR BAR AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO INSTALL SPLASH GUARD AT SIAD AREA. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED NO SPLASH GUARD ON RIGHT SIDE OF HAND SINK ADJACENT TO WASH SINK AT 3 COMPARTMENT SINK AREA AT 2ND FLR BAR AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO INSTALL SPLASH GUARD AT SIAD AREA. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • UNABLE TO IDENTIFY BACK FLOW/VACUUM BREAKER DEVICE ON ICE MACHINE IN BASEMENT AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO IDENTIFY AND OR INSTALL BACK FLOW PREVENTER DEVICE. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES."
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO LIDDED TRASH CAN RECEPTACLE FOR SANITARY ITEMS IN EMPLOYEES/CUSTOMER SHARED RESTROOMS ON 1ST FLOOR. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO LIDDED TRASH CAN RECEPTACLE FOR SANITARY ITEMS IN EMPLOYEES/CUSTOMER SHARED RESTROOMS ON 1ST FLOOR. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED EXCESSIVE CLUTTER AND DEBRIS, BOXES, KITCHEN EQUIPMENT, CHAIRS, PATIO FURNITURE, ETC. STORED ON FLOOR IN BASEMENT HALLWAY AND BACK CLOSET, DRY STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ORGANIZE AREA, DETAIL CLEAN AREA, ELEVATE ITEMS AT LEAST 6 INCH OFF FLOOR AND REMOVE ANY UNNECESSARY ITEMS. MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.

When was Tobacco Road last inspected?

Tobacco Road has 9 inspections on record going back to May 10, 2010.

Tobacco Road vs Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park runs 41% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 673 clean, 174 mid, 789 cooked.

Against the 1,649 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Park, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Park

• ✓! Tobacco Road
  mid · April 23, 2019
• ✓ Charlie Baggs, Inc
  cooked · August 1, 2019
• ✓! State Restaurant & Cafe
  cooked · July 20, 2018
• ? Red Rockett
  cooked · February 25, 2011
• ✓ Riccardo Trattoria Toscana
  clean · February 18, 2025
• ✓ Jimmy Johns
  cooked · October 29, 2013

See every restaurant inspection 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 April 23, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.