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:

Original Pakiza Inc. at 1009-1011 N. Orleans St. on the Near North Side was ordered closed after health inspectors found plumbing issues in the restaurant, the city said. A handwashing sink in the service area was disconnected, according to the city's data portal. Inspectors also found waste water, which was coming out of sump pumps in the basement, being disposed of onto the restaurant's parking lot, according to the data portal.

RAO Family Restaurant at 6347 W. Grand Ave. in the Belmont Central neighborhood was ordered shuttered after the restaurant failed to fix a previous mouse problem, the city said. More than 200 mouse droppings were found in the restaurant's food preparation area, in an unused dish machine, under a freezer and in a storage area, according to the city's data portal.

Fani Y Monse Groceries at 3803 W. 55th St. in the West Elsdon neighborhood was ordered closed after health inspectors discovered no running water at the store, 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.