Food Safety Report: Damenzo's, 2322-2324 W Taylor St, Chicago, Il, USA.

Chicago, 60612 Illinois, United States

Report date: Jan 8, 2026
8. Hands clean & properly washed
- comments: observed multiple food handlers demonstrate improper hand cleaning procedures. Observed one food handler put hands in the wash basin of the three compartment sink filled with dish water and dirty dishes, rinse hands and dry on apron. Another food handler rinses hands without using soap and dries hands on an apron. Lastly, another food handler wiping hands and arms with wiping cloth. All mentioned food handlers were instructed to properly wash hands with soap and dry with a proper hand drying provision. Priority violation 7-38-010, citation issued

9. No bare hand contact with rte food or a pre-approved alternative procedure properly allowed
- comments: observed bare hand contact with ready to eat (rte) food. Food handler took a cooked pizza out of the oven, placed it into a to-go box, and sprinkled seasoning on the pizza with their bare hands. Instructed must use gloves or other alternative approved methods when handling ready-to-eat food and products. Product was discarded at this time: 6 lb at $40 worth of product discarded. Priority violation 7-38-010, citation consolidated with violation #8.

16. Food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized
- comments: observed pink and black mold-like substance in the interior panel above the ice inside of the ice machine. Instructed to clean, sanitize, and maintain. Ice machine is used for human consumption. Priority foundation violation 7-38-005, citation issued

22. Proper cold holding temperatures
- comments: observed improper cold holding temperatures of tcs foods stored inside the walk-in cooler. Found 2 boxes and 1 bag of raw italian sausage (47. 8f-52. 2f), 2 bags of pepperoni (50. 1f-51. 2f), 1/2 of milk (52. 0f), pans of cooked, pork italian sausage, cooked, turkey sausage (51. 8f). Instructed must have cold holding foods at 41. 0f or below at all times. Approximately 85lbs at $280 worth of product was discarded at the time of the inspection. Priority 7-38-005, citation issued

33. Proper cooling methods used; adequate equipment for temperature control
- comments: observed improper temperature inside the walk-in cooler near the pizza prep area. Walk-in cooler was found at 51. 0f with tcs foods stored inside. Instructed all cold holding units must be 41f or below at all times. Person in charge was able to adjust the temperature of the unit and the unit met the compliance with the cold holding temperature before the conclusion of the inspection. Priority violation 7-38-005, citation issued

36. Thermometers provided & accurate
- comments: observed one of the walk-in coolers in the basement with no ambient thermometer. Instructed to provide and maintain.

40. Personal cleanliness
- comments: observed one employee without a hair restraint while in prep area. Instructed all employees must wear hair restraint while in prep area.

43. In-use utensils: properly stored
- comments: observed improper storage of knives near the flat top grill area. Found multiple knives stored on the wall in between the pipes. Instructed to remove and properly store utensils.

58. Allergen training as required
- comments: observed an expired allergen for manager on site. Instructed must retake course and maintain records on site.

Source: chicago.gov