Uncommon Ground

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJanuary 15, 2025
• address3800-3804 N Clark St, Chicago 60613

Is Uncommon Ground clean?

Uncommon Ground is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 15, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Uncommon Ground?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 15, 2025, 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 SOAP AVAILABLE AT THE EXPOSED HAND WASHING SINK LOCATED IN REAR KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST HAVE HAND WASHING SOAP AT ALL HAND WASHING SINKS AT ALL TIMES. MANAGEMENT PROVIDED HAND SOAP DURING INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C).
• 🧊food not cooled down right
  Proper Date Marking And Disposition • OBSERVED PREPARED READY TO EAT TCS FOODS SUCH AS COOKED CHICKEN, COOKED BLACK BEANS AND COOKED BEEF RIBS IN THE 2-DOOR TALL REACH-IN COOLER LOCATED IN MAIN KITCHEN HELD LONGER THAN 24 HOURS NOT DATED, LABELED WITH EXPIRATION DATE NO LONGER THAN 7-DAYS. REVIEWED PROPER DATE LABELING REQUIREMENTS. ALL FOOD DISCARDED APPROXIMATELY 36LBS OF FOOD VALUE OF $198. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • VISIBLE AND WORKING THERMOMETER NEEDED IN THE 2-DOOR TALL REACH-IN COOLER. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED OUTER OPENINGS NOT PROTECTED OBSERVED A GAP AT THE BOTTOM DOOR OF THE REAR EXTERIOR DOOR. MUST MAKE DOOR TIGHT FITTING TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY
• ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE IN KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA NOT WEARING HAIR RESTRAINT WHILE FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED. MUST WEAR HAIR RESTRAINT AT ALL TIMES FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED.
  Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE IN KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA NOT WEARING HAIR RESTRAINT WHILE FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED. MUST WEAR HAIR RESTRAINT AT ALL TIMES FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON TOP OF PREP TABLES IN MAIN KITCHEN AND FOOD PREP AREAS. MUST PROPERLY STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN A SANITIZING SOLUTION WHEN NOT IN USE.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED PLATES ON SHELVING NOT IMPROPERLY STORED IN KITCHEN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT ALL SERVING PLATES TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED PLATES ON SHELVING NOT IMPROPERLY STORED IN KITCHEN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO INVERT ALL SERVING PLATES TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED RUSTY FOOD STORAGE SHELVING INSIDE WALK-IN COOLERS LOCATED IN THE BASEMENT. MUST REPAINT OR REPLACE.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO SELF CLOSING DOOR DEVICE ON THE EMPLOYEE UNISEX WASHROOM DOOR.INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A SELF CLOSING DOOR DEVICE ON WASHROOM DOOR AND MAINTAIN.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO SELF CLOSING DOOR DEVICE ON THE EMPLOYEE UNISEX WASHROOM DOOR.INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A SELF CLOSING DOOR DEVICE ON WASHROOM DOOR AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED WALL BEHIND DISHWASHER WITH OPENING AND IN POOR REPAIR. MUST SEAL ALL OPENINGS AND MAINTAIN WALLS SMOOTHE AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACES. • OBSERVED CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS IN REAR BACKYARD OF FACILITY SUCH AS BUCKETS, STORAGE SHELVING, BOXES, UNUSED EQUIPMENT DIRT AND DEBRIS PILED ON BACKYARD. MUST REMOVE CLEAN AND ORGANIZE AREA TO PREVENT PEST HARBORING • OBSERVED EXCESSIVE DUST AND DEBRIS ACCUMULATED INSIDE LIGHT SHIELDS THROUGHOUT MAIN KITACHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA AND BASEMENT FOOD PREP AREA. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED MULTIPLE HOLES AND OPENINGS ON CEILING AND AROUND PIPES IN REAR OF BASEMENT WHERE ICE MACHINE IS LOCATED. MUST SEAL ALL OPENINGS AND MAINTAIN FACILITY IN A GOOD REPAIR. • OBSERVED DIRT AND DUST BUILD UP ON FLOOR DRAINS THROUGHOUT MAIN KITCHEN AND BASEMENT FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED CRACKED LIGHT SHIELD COVERS ABOVE FOOD STORAGE SHELVING PREP TABLES IN MAIN KITCHEN AND BASEMENT FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED BURN OUT LIGHT BULBS IN MAIN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA ABOVE PREP COOLERS. MUST REPLACE BURN OUT LIGHT BULBS AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL TIMES. • OBSERVED INADEQUATE LIGHTING IN REAR DISHWASHING AREA. MUST REPAIR/PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL TIMES.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED BURN OUT LIGHT BULBS IN MAIN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA ABOVE PREP COOLERS. MUST REPLACE BURN OUT LIGHT BULBS AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL TIMES. • OBSERVED INADEQUATE LIGHTING IN REAR DISHWASHING AREA. MUST REPAIR/PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING AT ALL TIMES.

When was Uncommon Ground last inspected?

Uncommon Ground has 36 inspections on record going back to September 8, 2011. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Uncommon Ground vs Lake View

Lake View runs 68% clean across 2,211 tracked restaurants — 1,492 clean, 440 mid, 272 cooked.

Against the 2,211 spots Cooked tracks in Lake View, this one comes out cleaner than 53% of them.

Other spots in Lake View

• ✓ Uncommon Ground
  clean · October 25, 2011
• ✓ Next Door Cafe
  clean · September 23, 2016
• ✓ Aje Cafe
  cooked · January 5, 2021
• ✓ Noodles & Company
  clean · January 26, 2012
• ✓ Sandwich Me In
  cooked · November 14, 2014
• ✓ Chipotle Mexican Grill
  clean · April 22, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Lake View →

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 January 15, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.