Yao

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedMay 7, 2026
• address230 W Cermak Rd, Chicago 60616

Is Yao clean?

Yao is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 7, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Yao?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 7, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED THE FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR WITH A 1/4 INCH GAP UNDERNEATH; INSTRUCTED TO RODENT PROOF DOOR. • OBSERVED FLY STRIPS IN DISHWASHING AREA ABOVE MACHINE; INSTRUCTED TO PLACE STRIPS IN CORNER AREA OF ROOM AND NOT OVER MACHINE. CORRECTED ON SITE.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED SOME FOOD ITEMS IN FREEZER STORED IN GROCERY BAGS; INSTRUCTED TO USE FOOD GRADE BAGS FOR ALL FOOD STORAGE.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED THE BOTTOM AREA OF THE FRYERS IN NEED OF CLEANING TO REMOVE GREASE AND OTHER PARTICLES; INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN BOTTOM AREA AND EXTERIOR SURFACES. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN BOTTOMS OF PREP TABLES AND INTERIOR OF REFRIGERATION UNITS WHERE NEEDED.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN THE FLOORS UNDER AND AROUND COOKING EQUIPMENT, UNDER DISHMACHINE, UNDER STORAGE SHELVES AND SINKS.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED THE VENTS IN THE HOODED SYSTEM ABOVE THE COOKING EQUIPMENT IN NEED OF CLEANING; INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED THE VENTS IN THE HOODED SYSTEM ABOVE THE COOKING EQUIPMENT IN NEED OF CLEANING; INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • FOUND SOME EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES; INSTRUCTED TO HAVE FOOD HANDLERS OBTAIN VALID CERTIFICATES.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • FOUND SOME EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES; INSTRUCTED TO HAVE FOOD HANDLERS OBTAIN VALID CERTIFICATES.

When was Yao last inspected?

Yao has 10 inspections on record going back to June 21, 2021.

Yao vs Armour Square

Armour Square runs 75% clean across 644 tracked restaurants — 481 clean, 114 mid, 46 cooked.

Against the 644 spots Cooked tracks in Armour Square, this one comes out cleaner than 28% of them.

Other spots in Armour Square

• ✓! Rong Shing Trading
  mid · June 22, 2021
• ✓ Duneyrr
  clean · May 24, 2023
• ✕ Pho Cafe
  cooked · March 27, 2024
• ✓ Spring Hill Suites
  clean · July 29, 2021
• ✓ Spring Hill Suites
  clean · July 29, 2021
• ✓ Lemen Sun Corp.
  clean · January 24, 2012

See every restaurant inspection in Armour Square →

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 May 7, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.