The Chicago Restaurants, Grocery Stores Ordered Closed Last Week

CHICAGO, IL — 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 during the week of Oct. 26, according to the city's Department of Health:

• La Boulangerie at 1945 W. Wilson Ave. in the city's Ravenswood neighborhood was closed after the cafe failed to correct a previously-cited insect problem, the city said. More than 50 flying insects were found in the cafe's front prep area, in the dining area and on the kitchen prep area's walls, ceiling and equipment, the city said.
• La Estrella at 3835 W. 26th St. in the Little Village neighborhood was ordered closed after the city said the grocery store failed to fix a rodent problem that inspectors discovered during a previous inspection. More than 30 rodent droppings were found in the deli and meat cooler, under shelving units and under cleaning supplies, the city said.
• The Dollar General Store at 5627 N. Lincoln Ave. in the Arcadia Terrace neighborhood on the North Side was ordered closed after the store failed to fix a mouse problem, the city said. Health inspectors found more than 100 mouse droppings on and under shelves, behind coolers and along rear storage baseboards, the city said.
• Halal Burger at 6234 N. California Ave. in the West Ridge neighborhood on the far North Side was ordered shuttered after a failed re-inspection, the city said. Around 75 mouse droppings were found along the baseboard of the restaurant's front counter, under shelving in the employee washroom, throughout the rear water heater room and behind coolers and freezers, the city said.
• Don Fresco at 520 W. Harrison St. in the city's Printer's Row neighborhood on the Near West Side was ordered closed after inadequate hand-washing facilities were discovered in the restaurant, health inspectors said. More than 60 mouse droppings were found in the kitchen's electrical room, in the dry food storage area and behind a refrigerator in 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.

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