2026-03-10 | rankings, pests, neighborhoods, data
Chicago's Dirtiest Neighborhoods: Roaches, Rodents & the Cleanest Kitchens
Three years of inspection data, ranked
The city pays people to walk into restaurants and look under things. Under prep tables. Behind the walk-in where nobody has mopped since 2019. Inside the ceiling tile that doesn't sit flush.
Three years. 54,000+ inspections. A portrait of what is actually happening in Chicago's kitchens.
Where Roaches Roam
Chinatown: 96 cockroach citations. Highest in the city. Also one of the densest restaurant corridors — more kitchens per block, more inspections, more chances for a German cockroach behind a steam table to make the report.
Rogers Park second at 57. Albany Park at 45. Dense commercial corridors, high turnover, old buildings with shared walls. Median neighborhood gets about 15. Chinatown has six times that.
German cockroaches are the predominant species in urban food service environments. Infestations correlate more strongly with building infrastructure than with sanitation practices alone.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Roach Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinatown | 96 |
| 2 | Rogers Park | 57 |
| 3 | Albany Park | 45 |
| 4 | West Ridge | 41 |
| 5 | Uptown | 38 |
Full roach rankings | What is Code 38?
Rodent Reality
Different map entirely. Englewood leads with 216 citations. Garfield Park at 147. Austin at 137.
The south and west side concentration is clear. Vacant lots as rodent habitat, buildings not updated in decades, fewer pest control resources. A droppings citation in Englewood often reflects conditions beyond any single kitchen.
Urban rodent populations are primarily driven by harborage availability and waste management infrastructure, not individual building sanitation.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Droppings Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Englewood | 216 |
| 2 | Garfield Park | 147 |
| 3 | Austin | 137 |
| 4 | Auburn Gresham | 112 |
| 5 | Roseland | 98 |
Full droppings rankings | Rodent evidence violation code
The Cleanest Kitchens
Hyde Park: 72.2% pass rate. Three out of four inspections end clean. City average is about 55%.
Andersonville at 71.8%. Beverly at 70.6%. Not the trendiest neighborhoods. Neighborhoods with good building stock and operators who've been there a while.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyde Park | 72.2% |
| 2 | Andersonville | 71.8% |
| 3 | Beverly | 70.6% |
| 4 | Lincoln Square | 69.1% |
| 5 | Edison Park | 68.5% |
Every restaurant is searchable on Chispections. Full rankings on the leaderboards page.