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:

Cheng ChopSticks at 3054 W. Armitage Ave. in Logan Square was ordered closed after the restaurant failed to fix a previous rodent infestation, the city said. More than 200 rodent droppings were found in the restaurant's prep and storage areas, according to the city's data portal. There was also a strong smell of rodent urine in the basement, health inspectors said.

D Arco's Pizza at 2819 W. 63rd St. in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood was ordered closed after a mice infestation was discovered at the pizzeria, the city said. There were "too many [rodent droppings] to count throughout the facility," health inspectors noted on the city's data portal.

Las Islas Marias at 4770 W. Grand Ave. in the Hermosa neighborhood was ordered closed after the restaurant failed to correct a previous pest infestation violation, the city said. At least 150 mouse droppings were discovered inside a shipping container stored outside the restaurant, according to the city's data portal. The container was used to store dry goods and other stock, the city said.

Rangoli at 2421 W. North Ave in the West Town neighborhood was ordered closed after at least 25 rodent droppings were found on the floor in the restaurant's hot water tank area, according to health inspectors' notes on the city's data portal.

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.