Whale Tale

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedMarch 13, 2025
• address2211 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago 60614

Is Whale Tale clean?

Whale Tale is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on March 13, 2025. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Whale Tale?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 13, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED UNIFINISHED WOOD USED TO PROP UP SHELF IN THE 1 DOOR SMALL REACH IN FREEZER NEXT TO THE FRYERS IN 1ST FLOOR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO SEAL/REPLACE WITH A SMOOTH, EASILY CLEANABLE, AND NON-ABSORBENT MATERIAL.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED LEAK FROM DRAIN OF HAND SINK LOCATED AT FRONT OF UPSTAIRS PREP AREA, LEAKING INTO BASEMENT CEILING. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO SERVICE LEAKING HAND AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD REPAIR. • OBSERVED NO SINK SOLELY USED FOR FOOD PREPARATION, OBTAINING WATER, AND DISCARDING LIQUID IN THE 1ST FLOOR PREP AREA. TWO (2) HAND SINKS ARE PRESENT; NO 3 COMPARTMENT SINK IS PRESENT. MANAGEMENT REMOVED EXISTING 3 COMPARTMENT SINK WITHOUT PRIOR CDPH CONSULTATION DURING REMODEL. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE AT MINIMUM ONE SINK SUPPLIED WITH HOT AND COLD WATER UNDER CITY PRESSURE SOLELY USED FOR FOOD PREPARATION, OBTAINING WATER, AND DISCARDING LIQUID IN THE 1ST FLOOR PREPARATION AREA.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED BOTH BATHROOMS (2) TO NOT HAVE SELF CLOSING DOORS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER THAT BOTH BATHROOMS MUST HAVE A SELF CLOSING DOOR.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED BOTH BATHROOMS (2) TO NOT HAVE SELF CLOSING DOORS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER THAT BOTH BATHROOMS MUST HAVE A SELF CLOSING DOOR.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED THE WALL BUILT AROUND THE BATHROOMS NEXT TO THE FRONT PREP AREA IN 1ST FLOOR TO BE UNFINISHED AND ROUGH. RECENTLY CONSTRUCTED. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE A SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE IN PREP AREAS. • OBSERVED WALL IN BASEMENT NEAR THE REAR EQUIPMENT/PARTS STORAGE AREA NEAR UTILITY SINK TO BE EXPOSED AND OPEN WITH STUDS EXPOSED. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO ENCLOSE THE WALL AND ENSURE ALL STUDS AND JOISTS ARE NOT EXPOSED IN AREAS SUBJECT TO MOISTURE. • OBSERVED MISSING BASEBOARD ALONG FLOOR JUNCTIONS IN BASEMENT PREP AREA IN REAR NEAR THE EQUIPMENT/PARTS STORAGE ROOM. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE COVING/REPLACE MISSING BASEBOARD AT ALL FLOOR AND WALL JUNCTURES.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 2 MISSING FILTERS ABOVE THE PIZZA OVEN IN THE 1ST FLOOR PREP AREA, CREATING LARGE GAPS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE AND ENSURE EXHAUST SYSTEM IS IN ADEQUATE REPAIR.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED 2 MISSING FILTERS ABOVE THE PIZZA OVEN IN THE 1ST FLOOR PREP AREA, CREATING LARGE GAPS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE AND ENSURE EXHAUST SYSTEM IS IN ADEQUATE REPAIR.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED MISSING FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES FOR FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEES ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. ONLY MANAGER CERTIFICATE PROVIDED. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO MAINTAIN PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR ANY FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED MISSING FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES FOR FOOD HANDLING EMPLOYEES ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. ONLY MANAGER CERTIFICATE PROVIDED. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO MAINTAIN PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR ANY FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES.

When was Whale Tale last inspected?

Whale Tale has 23 inspections on record going back to March 8, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Whale Tale vs Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park runs 67% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 1,089 clean, 360 mid, 187 cooked.

Against the 1,649 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Park, this one comes out cleaner than 60% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Park

• ✓ Mamacita's Restaurant
  cooked · July 28, 2010
• ✓ Father & Son Pizzeria North
  cooked · December 20, 2017
• ✓ Tokyo 21
  clean · May 31, 2013
• ✓! Las Pinatas Mexican Restaurant
  cooked · August 3, 2011
• ? America's Pantry
  cooked · September 8, 2014
• ? Lucille's
  cooked · August 21, 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 March 13, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.