What is Lea French Cafe's health inspection score?

Lea French Cafe has a SafeDine safety score of 54 out of 100 (Grade C). This score is calculated from official government health inspection data, factoring in violation severity, recency, and trends.

When was Lea French Cafe last inspected?

Lea French Cafe was last inspected on March 30, 2026. SafeDine tracks official health department inspections and updates scores automatically.

How many health violations does Lea French Cafe have?

Lea French Cafe has 26 total violations across 4 inspections on record. Violations are categorized by severity: high priority, intermediate, and basic.

Is Lea French Cafe safe to eat at?

Lea French Cafe has a safety score of 54/100, which suggests room for improvement. Review the detailed inspection history on SafeDine for more information.

What type of cuisine does Lea French Cafe serve?

Lea French Cafe serves American cuisine. Visit their SafeDine page for safety scores, inspection history, and more details.

Official Health Record

Lea French Cafe

Name: Lea French Cafe
Address: 20 N MICHIGAN AVE, Chicago, 60602
Rating: 54

20 N MICHIGAN AVE, Chicago

Last Inspected: 3/30/2026

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0Fair

American•The Loop

Ranked #602 of 865 in The LoopBetter than 17% of american restaurants

Declining

4 inspections

Last: Mar 30, 2026

high confidence

Directions Order

Inspections

Clean Rate

6.5

Avg Violations

This month

Last Inspected

Top Concerns

Most common issues from recent inspections

Temperature controlHigh Priority

Food not kept at safe temperatures — risk of bacterial growth

Cross-contamination

Raw and cooked foods not properly separated

Plumbing issues

Plumbing or waste disposal problems

Facility condition

Building maintenance or structural issues

10x

Other violation

Regulatory compliance issue

Score Analysis

How the SafeDine score is calculated

Live Data Feed

Starting Score

100

Total Deductions

-46

Final Score

Impact Breakdown

High Priority

-1 pts

Direct health hazards • 10 pts each

Intermediate

-29 pts

Potential hazards • 5 pts each

Basic

-5 pts

Best practices • 2 pts each

Inspection Timeline

-23 pts

Latest

100% weight

2nd

60% weight

3rd

30% weight

How scoring works: Every restaurant starts at 100 points. Points are deducted for violations found during inspections.

Recent inspections are weighted more heavily. High priority violations (direct health hazards) have the greatest impact.

Location

20 N MICHIGAN AVE, Chicago, IL 60602

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Violation Timeline

May 2025

1 inspections

1 basic

May

Aug 2025

1 inspections

1 high priority

2 intermediate

6 basic

Sep 2025

1 inspections

6 basic

Sep

Mar 2026

1 inspections

10 intermediate

Inspection History

4 records on file

1 Canvass Re-Inspection1 Short Form Complaint1 Complaint1 License

Mar 26

Canvass Re-Inspection InspectionLatestPass

10 Med

10 total

50/100inspection score

−50 pts

Intermediate (10)

−50 pts

37FOOD PROPERLY LABELED; ORIGINAL CONTAINER−5
39CONTAMINATION PREVENTED DURING FOOD PREPARATION, STORAGE & DISPLAY−5
43IN-USE UTENSILS: PROPERLY STORED−5
44UTENSILS, EQUIPMENT & LINENS: PROPERLY STORED, DRIED, & HANDLED−5
47FOOD & NON-FOOD CONTACT SURFACES CLEANABLE, PROPERLY DESIGNED, CONSTRUCTED & USED−5
49NON-FOOD/FOOD CONTACT SURFACES CLEAN−5
55PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN−5
55PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN−5
55PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN−5
56ADEQUATE VENTILATION & LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS USED−5

Base deductions−50 pts

Sep 25

Short Form Complaint InspectionPass

6 Basic

6 total

88/100inspection score

−12 pts

Basic (6)

−12 pts

51PLUMBING INSTALLED; PROPER BACKFLOW DEVICES−2
5-205.15: OBSERVED LEAKING FROM DRAINPIPES OF THE RINSE AND SANITIZER COMPARTMENTS OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR LEAKING DRAINPIPES OF THE RINSE AND SAINTIZER COMPARTMENTS OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. OBSERVED STRIPPED HOT WATER KNOB AND NO HOT RUNNING WATER AT 1 COMPARTMENT SINK IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE HOT WATER KNOB AND RESTORE HOT WATER AT 1 COMPARTMENT SINK IN REAR PREP AREA AND MAINTAIN.
53TOILET FACILITIES: PROPERLY CONSTRUCTED, SUPPLIED, & CLEANED−2
5-501.17: OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLES IN WOMEN'S WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN WOMEN'S WASHROOM FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.
55PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN−2
6-501.12: OBSERVED BLACK BUILDUP ON FLOOR AND ALONG BASES OF WALL IN DISHWASHING AREA UNDERNEATH THREE COMPARTMENT SINK, GREASE TRAPS AND DISHWASHING MACHINE. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOOR AND ALONG BASES OF WALL IN DISHWASHING AREA UNDERNEATH THREE COMPARTMENT SINK, GREASE TRAPS AND DISHWASHING MACHINE AND MAINTAIN.
56ADEQUATE VENTILATION & LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS USED−2
6-303.11: OBSERVED NON WORKING CEILING LIGHT IN REAR NEAR UTILITY SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE NON WORKING CEILING LIGHT IN REAR NEAR UTILITY SINK TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY AND MAINTAIN.
56ADEQUATE VENTILATION & LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS USED−2
6-501.14: OBSERVED DUST ON FILTERS IN HOOD. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FILTERS IN HOOD AND MAINTAIN.
58ALLERGEN TRAINING AS REQUIRED−2
2-102.13: FACILITY PROVIDED NO PROOF OF ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING FOR CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION MANAGERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE VALID ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WITH CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATES

Base deductions−12 pts

Aug 25

Complaint InspectionPass w/ Conditions

1 High2 Med6 Basic

9 total

68/100inspection score

−32 pts

High Priority (1)

−10 pts

33PROPER COOLING METHODS USED; ADEQUATE EQUIPMENT FOR TEMPERATURE CONTROL−10
OBSERVED FOUR DRAWER COLD HOLDING UNIT UNDERNEATH FLAT TOP GRILL AT IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE OF 53.1F. INSTRUCTED ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS MUST BE MAINTAINED AT 41F OR BELOW. HELD FOR INSPECTION TAG PLACED ON FOUR DRAWER COLD HOLDING UNIT UNDERNEATH FLAT TOP GRILL. ONCE FOUR DRAWER COLD HOLDING UNIT UNDERNEATH FLAT TOP GRILL HAS BEEN REPAIRED AND ABLE TO MAINTAIN TCS FOODS AT 41F OR LESS E-MAIL FOOD@CITYOFCHICAGO.ORG TO REQUEST TAG REMOVAL PRIOR TO USING UNIT.PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED

Intermediate (2)

−10 pts

21PROPER HOT HOLDING TEMPERATURES−5
OBSERVED HOT TCS FOOD(COOKED BACON) HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURE OF 97.3F. INSTRUCTED ALL HOT TCS FOOD MUST BE HELD AT 135F OR ABOVE. CORRECTED ON SITE MANAGER VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENATURED FOOD VALUED AT $15 WEIGHING 0.5LBS. CONSOLIDATED WITH VIOLATION BELOW PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED
22PROPER COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURES−5
OBSERVED COLD TCS FOODS, HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES RANGING BETWEEN 45.7-75.6F. OBSERVED COLD TCS FOODS, BACON(47.1-50.6F), RAW EGGS IN SHELL(50.1-75.6F),SALMON(47.3F), COOKED GREEN BEANS(46.2F) AND HARD BOILED EGGS(45.7F)HELD AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURE. INSTRUCTED ALL COLD TCS FOOD MUST BE HELD AT 41F OR BELOW. CORRECTED ON SITE MANAGER VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENATURED FOOD VALUED AT $200 WEIGHING 15LBS. CONSOLIDATED WITH VIOLATION ABOVE PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.

Basic (6)

−12 pts

51PLUMBING INSTALLED; PROPER BACKFLOW DEVICES−2
OBSERVED LEAKING FROM DRAINPIPES OF THE RINSE AND SANITIZER COMPARTMENTS OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR LEAKING DRAINPIPES OF THE RINSE AND SAINTIZER COMPARTMENTS OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. OBSERVED STRIPPED HOT WATER KNOB AND NO HOT RUNNING WATER AT 1 COMPARTMENT SINK IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE HOT WATER KNOB AND RESTORE HOT WATER AT 1 COMPARTMENT SINK IN REAR PREP AREA AND MAINTAIN.
53TOILET FACILITIES: PROPERLY CONSTRUCTED, SUPPLIED, & CLEANED−2
OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLES IN WOMEN'S WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN WOMEN'S WASHROOM FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.
55PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN−2
OBSERVED BLACK BUILDUP ON FLOOR AND ALONG BASES OF WALL IN DISHWASHING AREA UNDERNEATH THREE COMPARTMENT SINK, GREASE TRAPS AND DISHWASHING MACHINE. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOOR AND ALONG BASES OF WALL IN DISHWASHING AREA UNDERNEATH THREE COMPARTMENT SINK, GREASE TRAPS AND DISHWASHING MACHINE AND MAINTAIN.
56ADEQUATE VENTILATION & LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS USED−2
OBSERVED NON WORKING CEILING LIGHT IN REAR NEAR UTILITY SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE NON WORKING CEILING LIGHT IN REAR NEAR UTILITY SINK TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY AND MAINTAIN.
56ADEQUATE VENTILATION & LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS USED−2
OBSERVED DUST ON FILTERS IN HOOD. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FILTERS IN HOOD AND MAINTAIN.
58ALLERGEN TRAINING AS REQUIRED−2
FACILITY PROVIDED NO PROOF OF ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING FOR CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION MANAGERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE VALID ALLERGEN AWARENESS TRAINING FOR ALL EMPLOYEES WITH CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATES

Base deductions−32 pts

May 25

License InspectionPass

1 Basic

1 total

98/100inspection score

−2 pts

Basic (1)

−2 pts

51PLUMBING INSTALLED; PROPER BACKFLOW DEVICES−2
OBSERVED LEAKING FROM DRAINPIPES OF THE RINSE AND SANITIZER COMPARTMENTS OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR LEAKING DRAINPIPES OF THE RINSE AND SAINTIZER COMPARTMENTS OF THE THREE COMPARTMENT SINK.

Base deductions−2 pts

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Community Safety Reports

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Data source: Chicago CDPH · Official government inspection records

Grading System

85 – 100

Excellent

70 – 84

Good

Below 70

Fair

About SafeDine Scores

Scores are calculated using official government inspection data. High Priority violations (direct health hazards) have the greatest impact, followed by Intermediate and Basic violations. Community reviews can adjust the score by up to 5 points when 3+ reviews are submitted.

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