The Chicago Restaurants, Grocery Stores Ordered Closed Last Week

CHICAGO — Dozens of Chicago restaurants and grocery stores are slapped with fines for health violations each week, but it takes a serious violation for a restaurant to be ordered closed, the city said. Places are ordered shuttered for reasons such as roach and mice infestations, major plumbing problems, food stored at the wrong temperatures and basic food safety rules not being followed, the city said.

Less-serious violations, which don't require closures, often include issues such as poor ventilation, inadequate lighting, worn seal on refrigerators, a few fruit flies and inappropriate materials like cardboard and paper sitting in the wrong places. Restaurants and stores are required to fix those problems immediately.

These were the restaurants and grocery stores that were ordered closed last week, according to the city's Department of Health:

Jerk Taco Man at 7723 S. State St. in the Chatham neighborhood was ordered closed after health inspectors found black waste water backing up from multiple floor drains in the restaurant's dishwashing and prep areas, the city said. More than 60 mouse droppings were also found in Jerk Taco Man's ice machine, ovens, equipment and storage areas, according to the city's data portal.

J & A Oriental Food Mart at 5755 W. Fullerton Ave. in the West Loop was ordered shuttered after the store failed to correct a prior major violation, the city said. Health inspectors found two live cockroaches and more than 50 mouse droppings in the store's basement, according to the city's data portal.

Taco Bell at 500 W. Madison St. in the West Loop was ordered closed by the city when health inspectors discovered no hot running water at the restaurant, the city said.

Information on which Chicago restaurants and grocery stores have been ordered closed is not available on the city's data portal. The city's public health department has committed to sending Patch weekly reports, and we will publish those as long as they are made available.