City health inspectors shut down Iron Age Korean Steakhouse in Wicker Park on Monday after finding more than 500 rat droppings scattered across the restaurant’s kitchen, dishwashing area, and dining room, along with black slime dripping into an ice machine used for drinks served to customers.
The Chicago Department of Public Health suspended the all-you-can-eat barbecue chain’s license on August 20 following the inspection, according to Block Club Chicago. Inspectors also found the restaurant had no chemical test kit on site, incomplete food handler certificates for employees, and inadequate lighting in a mop closet, per the inspection report cited by the outlet. The closure falls under what the city classifies as a Priority violation — the most severe tier of health code infraction, which mandates instant license suspension until a restaurant passes a follow-up inspection and submits a signed affidavit, according to Chicago’s Department of Public Health.
Municipal inspection records reviewed by Chispections show the August 20 failure was logged as a Priority violation under Code 16 for ice machine contamination and Code 38 for rodent droppings found across prep, dishwashing, and dining areas. That same record shows city inspectors had attempted an earlier visit on August 11 that was logged as a No Entry, days before the infestation was ultimately documented.
A Pattern Stretching Back Months
This is not the restaurant’s first brush with health code trouble. Chicago Department of Public Health data reviewed by Chispections shows Iron Age’s Wicker Park location failed inspections in December 2025 for lacking a certified food manager and holding food at unsafe temperatures, then again in March 2026 for improper food storage — passing reinspections both times before this latest, more severe shutdown…