Wen Cai Chinese

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJuly 14, 2025
• address2334 W Cermak Rd, Chicago 60608

Is Wen Cai Chinese clean?

Wen Cai Chinese is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 14, 2025. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Wen Cai Chinese?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 14, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • SPICES BY THE WOK STATION OUT OF THE ORIGINAL PACKAGING AND IN CONTAINERS WITHOUT A LABEL WITH THE PRODUCT NAMES. INSTRUCTED TO LABEL ALL DRY SPICES OUT OF THE ORIGINAL PACKAGING.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • FLY STRIP HANGING BY REAR HAND WASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE FLY STRIP AND TO USE ONLY IN NON FOOD PREP AREAS. MAINTAIN SAME.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • PLASTIC CONTAINERS USED TO SCOOP TCS FOODS STORED IN THE REACH IN COOLERS NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED TO USE PROPER UTENSILS AND TO PROPERLY STORE SAID UTENSIL(S) IN A BIN/CONTAINER OR HANDLE UP IN THE PRODUCT WHEN NOT IN USE. MAINTAIN SAME.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • PLASTIC CONTAINERS USED TO SCOOP TCS FOODS STORED IN THE REACH IN COOLERS NOT PROPERLY STORED. INSTRUCTED TO USE PROPER UTENSILS AND TO PROPERLY STORE SAID UTENSIL(S) IN A BIN/CONTAINER OR HANDLE UP IN THE PRODUCT WHEN NOT IN USE. MAINTAIN SAME.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • ALUMINUM FOIL BEING USED ON THE COOKING EQUIPMENT AND STORAGE RACKS AS A LINER. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE FOIL AND KEEP SURFACES SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE. MAINTAIN SAME.
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • ALUMINUM FOIL BEING USED ON THE COOKING EQUIPMENT AND STORAGE RACKS AS A LINER. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE FOIL AND KEEP SURFACES SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE. MAINTAIN SAME.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • THE STORAGE RACKS INSIDE THE WALK IN COOLER, THE PREP TABLES, EXTERIOR/INTERIOR OF THE SINKS (INCLUDING THE FAUCET KNOBS) WITH A BUILD UP OF FOOD, DIRT AND DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN ALL. • EXCESSIVE FOOD AND GREASE DEBRIS ON ALL COOKING EQUIPMENT, THE WOK STATION, INTERIOR OF FRYERS AND STOVE. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND SANITIZE ALL.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • THE BASE OF THE FAUCET ON THE 3-COMPARTMENT SINK LEAKS. INSTRUCTED TO FIX AND MAINTAIN GOOD PLUMBING.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • FLOORS THROUGHOUT THE FOOD PREP AREA WITH EXCESSIVE FOOD, GREASE AND DIRT DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN UNDER ALL COOKING EQUIPMENT, UNDER THE 3-COMPARTMENT SINK, AROUND THE HOT WATER HEATER AND REFRIGERATORS, UNDER ALL PREP TABLES, AND ALL DRY STORAGE SHELVES. MAINTAIN SAME.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • FILTERS ON THE VENTILATION HOOD WITH GREASE, DIRT AND DUST BUILD UP. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN VENTILATION FILTERS.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • FILTERS ON THE VENTILATION HOOD WITH GREASE, DIRT AND DUST BUILD UP. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN VENTILATION FILTERS.

When was Wen Cai Chinese last inspected?

Wen Cai Chinese has 8 inspections on record going back to November 28, 2017.

Wen Cai Chinese vs Lower West Side

Lower West Side runs 68% clean across 1,153 tracked restaurants — 775 clean, 162 mid, 205 cooked.

Against the 1,153 spots Cooked tracks in Lower West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 34% of them.

Other spots in Lower West Side

• ✓ Lawrence's Fish & Shrimp
  clean · June 23, 2021
• ✓ May St. Restaurant
  clean · January 30, 2025
• ? El Torito Inc.
  not rated · April 17, 2019
• ✓ Ramirez Grocery
  clean · December 14, 2017
• ✓! Luxury Cake
  mid · June 27, 2019
• ✓ La Casa Del Pueblo Taqueria
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See every restaurant inspection in Lower West 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 July 14, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.