Wellsey Tavern

• resultPass
• critical violations1
• last inspectedApril 8, 2026
• address611-613 N Wells St, Chicago 60654

Is Wellsey Tavern clean?

Wellsey Tavern is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 8, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Wellsey Tavern?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 8, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED SOAP DISPENSORS AT 1 COMPARTMENT DUMP SINKS LOCATED IN UPSTAIRS AND BASEMENT BAR. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE AND MAINTAIN HANDWASHING AIDES AT ONLY HANDWASHING SINKS. • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SIGNAGE AT EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINKS LOCATED IN UPSTAIRS AND BASEMENT BARS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • UNABLE TO READ EXTERIOR DIGITAL THERMOMETER ON PREP COOLER LOCATED AT END OF PREP LINE CLOSEST TO DRY STORAGE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE WORKING THERMOMETER INSIDE COOLER.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED BROKEN SOAP DISPENSOR ON WALL NEAR EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK IN UPSTAIRS BAR. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED LEAKING WATER PIPE ATTACHED TO LOW TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE IN UPSTAIRS BAR. PIPE IS WRAPPED WITH DUCT TAPE AND HAS BOWL UNDERNEATH FOR DRIPPING WATER. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED THE FOLLOWING UNUSED EQUIPMENT: PREP COOLER NEAR ENTRANCE TO REAR PREP AREA, SMOKER ON PREP LINE, AND UNUSED ICE MACHINE IN DRY STORAGE ROOM. INSTRUCTED TO EITHER REPAIR AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION OR REMOVE FROM PREMISES.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED 1 EMPLOYEE WITH EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES MUST COMPLETE FOOD HNADLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ONSITE AT ALL TIMES.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED 1 EMPLOYEE WITH EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES MUST COMPLETE FOOD HNADLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ONSITE AT ALL TIMES.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED NO ALLERGEN TRAINING CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES HOLDING CITY OF CHICAGO FOODSERVICE MANAGER CERTIFICATE MUST COMPLETE ALLERGEN TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ONSITE AT ALL TIMES.

When was Wellsey Tavern last inspected?

Wellsey Tavern has 14 inspections on record going back to July 3, 2018. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Wellsey Tavern vs Near North Side

Near North Side runs 53% clean across 2,889 tracked restaurants — 1,514 clean, 253 mid, 1,113 cooked.

Against the 2,889 spots Cooked tracks in Near North Side, this one comes out cleaner than 47% of them.

Other spots in Near North Side

• ✓ Yours Truly
  clean · July 3, 2018
• ✓! Gilt Bar/ Doughnut Vault/ Ciccio Mio
  mid · March 10, 2026
• ✓ Gilt Bar/ Doughnut Vault/ Ciccio Mio
  clean · February 22, 2018
• ✓! Cupitol Coffee . Eatery
  mid · July 17, 2025
• ✓ Cupitol Coffee . Eatery
  clean · March 14, 2017
• ✓ Teavana #28346
  cooked · October 11, 2016

See every restaurant inspection 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 April 8, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.