Cooked?
True Food Kitchen
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedMay 12, 2026
- address1-9 W Erie St, Chicago 60654
Is True Food Kitchen clean?
True Food Kitchen is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 12, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at True Food Kitchen?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 12, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING TCS ITEMS STORED PREP COOLER ON COOK LINE STORED AT THE STATED IMPROPER TEMPERATURES: LASAGNA AT 48.4F, HAMBURGERS AT 46.4, AND FISH AT 43.7F. MANAGEMENT DISCARDED APPROXIMATELY 20LBS OF PRODUCT VALUED AT APPROXIMATELY $60. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN ALL COOLERS AT OR BELOW 41F AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧫food prep surfaces dirtyProper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED PREP COOLER UNDERNEATH GRILL ON COOK LINE CONTAINING TCS ITEMS SUCH AS HAMBURGERS MAINTAINING AN IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 48.9F. COOLER TAGGED AND HELD FOR INSPECTION. INSTRCUTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN ALL COOLERS CONTAINING TCS ITEMS AT OR BELOW 41F AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED ONE OF 2 TOILETS IN MEN'S CUSTOMER RESTROOM UNABLE TO FLUSH. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 2 BURNT OUT LIGHTBULBS IN HOOD OVER COOK LINE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 2 BURNT OUT LIGHTBULBS IN HOOD OVER COOK LINE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
- ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED 1 FOOD EMPLOYEE WITH EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES MUST COMPLETE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON SITE AT ALL TIMESAll Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED 1 FOOD EMPLOYEE WITH EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES MUST COMPLETE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON SITE AT ALL TIMES
When was True Food Kitchen last inspected?
True Food Kitchen has 12 inspections on record going back to February 20, 2018.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| July 16, 2025 | Pass | |
| July 8, 2025 | Fail | |
| July 9, 2024 | Pass | |
| July 1, 2024 | Fail | |
| December 14, 2023 | Pass | |
| December 12, 2023 | Fail | |
| November 30, 2022 | Pass | |
| May 25, 2021 | Pass | |
| January 24, 2020 | Pass | |
| January 18, 2019 | Pass | |
| February 20, 2018 | Pass |
True Food Kitchen 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 18% of them.
Other spots 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 May 12, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.