Windy City Ribs & Whiskey

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedAugust 5, 2024
• address600 E Grand Ave, Chicago 60611

Is Windy City Ribs & Whiskey clean?

Windy City Ribs & Whiskey is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on August 5, 2024. 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 Windy City Ribs & Whiskey?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 5, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED HANDWASHING CLEANSER NOT PROVIDED AT HANDWASHING SINKS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF THE FACILITY: BAR AREA, WAREWASHING AREA, UTILITY SINK AREA, FRONT KITCHEN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE HANDWASHING CLEANSER AT ALL HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN AVAILABLE FOR USE AT ALL TIMES. PERSON-IN-CHARGE PROVIDED HANDWASHING CLEANSER TO ALL HANDWASHING SINKS ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C) CITATION ISSUED. • OBSERVED DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS NOT PROVIDED AT HANDWASHING SINKS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS OF THE FACILITY: WAREWASHING AREA, UTILITY SINK AREA, REAR KITCHEN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS OR OTHER APPROVED HAND DRYING METHOD AT ALL HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN AVAILABLE FOR USE AT ALL TIMES. PERSON-IN-CHARGE PROVIDED DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS TO ALL HANDWASHING SINKS ON-SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C) CITATION COMBINED WITH ABOVE VIOLATION. • OBSERVED STACK OF 5-GALLON FOOD-SAFE BUCKETS OBSTRUCTING ACCESS TO WAREWASHING AREA HANDWASHING SINK AT TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE BUCKETS AND MAINTAIN ALL HANDWASHING SINKS FREE FROM OBSTRUCTIONS AND ACCESSIBLE FOR USE FOR HANDWASHING AT ALL TIMES. PERSON-IN-CHARGE REMOVED BUCKETS FROM HANDWASHING SINK AT TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-030(C) CITATION COMBINED WITH ABOVE VIOLATION. • OBSERVED HANDWASHING CLEANSER AND DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS PROVIDED AT FOOD PREP SINK AT THE FRONT KITCHEN AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE SOAP AND PAPER TOWELS FROM PREP SINK AND ELIMINATE HANDWASHING CLEANSER OR DISPOSABLE PAPER TOWELS FROM ALL SINKS NOT DESIGNATED FOR HANDWASHING AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED RACKS OF PORK RIBS IN THE WALK-IN COOLER COVERED IN DOUBLE-LAYER OF FOOD-GRADE PLASTIC WRAP WHILE COOLING. INSTRUCTED TO LEAVE TCS FOOD ITEMS UNCOVERED OR PARTIALLY-COVERED (IF PROTECTED FROM OVERHEAD CONTAMINATION) WHILE COOLING AND MAINTAIN.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • OBSERVED NO INTERNAL AMBIENT AIR THERMOMETER PROVIDED AT THE FOLLOWING COLD-HOLDING UNITS USED TO STORE TCS FOOD ITEMS: REAR KITCHEN AREA UPRIGTH FREEZER, WALK-IN COOLER, FRONT AREA RIGHT-HAND BEER COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AT LEAST ONE INTERNAL AMBIENT AIR THERMOMETER IN EACH COLD-HOLDING UNIT USED TO STORE TCS FOODS AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED SAUCE BOTTLES AT THE FRONT BAR AREA MISSING FOOD IDENTITY LABELS. INSTRUCTED TO LABEL ALL FOODS REMOVED FROM THEIR ORIGINAL CONTAINER WITH THE COMMON NAME OF THE FOOD STORED AND MAINTAIN.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED FOOD-GRADE PLASTIC WRAP USED TO LINE NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF REAR KITCHEN AREA PREP TABLE AND CAN OPENER MOUNT. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE PLASTIC WRAP AND MAINTAIN ALL NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF EQUIPMENT SMOOTH AND EASILY-CLEANABLE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF CAN OPENER (EXCLUDING FOOD-CONTACT BLADE) TO BE SOILED WITH DRIED FOOD DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES OF EQUIPMENT AT ADEQUATE FREQUENCY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF SOIL AND MAINTAIN.

When was Windy City Ribs & Whiskey last inspected?

Windy City Ribs & Whiskey has 4 inspections on record going back to June 27, 2023.

Windy City Ribs & Whiskey 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 12% of them.

Other spots in Near North Side

• ✓! Windy City Ribs & Whiskey
  mid · June 27, 2023
• ✓ Youth Juice
  clean · June 28, 2023
• ✓! Lucky Strike Downtown Chicago
  mid · December 23, 2025
• ✓ Lucky Strike Downtown Chicago
  clean · August 10, 2023
• ✓ Lucky Strike Downtown Chicago
  clean · August 10, 2023
• ✓ Chick-Fil-A Loyola Water Tower
  clean · July 17, 2025

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 August 5, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.