Stella's Diner, a popular diner in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, has been ordered to close after inspectors found live roaches, an insect trap packed with bugs, and sanitation problems that were still unresolved after a follow-up visit.
The closure adds to concerns about the restaurant's owners. A nearby restaurant under the same ownership was recently cited for an even worse infestation.
What happened?
More than 50 roaches turned up in an insect trap, alongside two live roaches spotted moving through the dining area and kitchen, according to city inspection records cited by Block Club Chicago. Those records show inspectors arrived at Stella's Diner on June 26 to investigate a complaint and confirmed an active cockroach problem.
Officials cited the diner and directed management to bring in pest treatment and clear out the dead bugs. A reinspection on July 9 found the issues hadn't been fixed, prompting the city to shut the business down.
Owner Marvin Barsky, who has run Stella's Diner since January 2021, didn't respond to Block Club Chicago's request for comment. City records show the restaurant has failed an inspection every year of his ownership, though it cleared a complaint check and a scheduled canvass earlier this spring with no critical violations found.
The shutdown comes just weeks after The Bagel, a nearby Jewish deli Barsky also owns, lost its license following a complaint inspection on June 2 that turned up dozens of live roaches, food that sat well past its expiration date, and a handwashing sink with no hot water.
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Why does it matter?
Roaches can spread bacteria across food prep surfaces, utensils, and storage areas just by moving through a kitchen.
Seeing two restaurants under one owner flagged for sanitation problems within weeks of each other is the sort of pattern that tends to draw a closer look from health officials.
Cases like this fit into a wider pattern of food-safety oversight making headlines this year. The FDA reported that food recalls nationwide reached 57.4 million units in the first quarter of 2026, a jump driven less by how often recalls happen and more by how large each one has become.
What's being done?
Stella's Diner will stay closed until the violations get resolved. Getting back open typically means fixing the root problem, not a quick cleanup: pest control, sanitation, and repairs all have to satisfy inspectors before a follow-up visit can clear the way to reopen.
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The Bagel shows what that road can look like. Its first follow-up, in mid-June, found some improvement but still turned up live roaches, triggering another citation. A second follow-up cleared the deli days later, and it reopened.
At Stella's, officials said their latest visit still turned up sanitation problems, live roaches, and a bug-filled trap, and the diner stays shut until that changes.
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