Roach Infestation Shuts Down Stella's Diner in Lakeview

Stella's Diner in Lakeview East is closed after city health inspectors found an active cockroach infestation inside the restaurant, the second business under the same ownership to run into serious pest problems this summer.

The Chicago Department of Public Health temporarily shut down Stella's Diner, 3042 N. Broadway, on Thursday. The closure followed a June 26 complaint inspection in which city inspectors documented two live roaches in the dining room and kitchen, more than 50 roaches caught in an insect trap, and dead roaches scattered throughout the kitchen. Inspectors also noted a number of sanitation and maintenance problems during that visit.

The city issued a priority foundation citation and told management to treat the building for pests and clear out the dead insects. When inspectors came back Thursday for a reinspection, the problems hadn't been fixed, and the department ordered the diner closed.

As of Monday, Stella's remained shuttered. Owner Marvin Barsky did not respond to requests for comment.

Barsky has owned Stella's Diner since January 2021. City records show the restaurant has failed inspections in nearly every year of his ownership, including 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and now 2026. In each previous case, the diner passed a follow-up inspection after correcting the cited violations. Records dating back more than a decade show similar failed-and-corrected inspections under prior ownership, in 2014, 2017 and 2020.

The diner had seemed to be in the clear as recently as April, when it passed both a complaint inspection and a routine canvass inspection. Inspectors looked into a complaint that month but found no critical violations at the time.

This is the second Barsky-owned restaurant to run into a roach problem in the span of a month. The Bagel Restaurant and Deli, located a few doors down at 3107 N. Broadway, had its license suspended June 2 after inspectors found a far larger infestation during a complaint investigation. That inspection turned up more than 50 live roaches spread across the dining room, kitchen, dishwashing area and women's restroom, along with dead roaches under cooking and refrigeration equipment.

Inspectors at The Bagel also found expired ready-to-eat food that had stayed on shelves past its discard date, a handwashing sink without hot water, and insecticide stored near food. Those violations added to the citation.

When inspectors returned to The Bagel on June 16, they found conditions had improved but not enough. Three live roaches turned up in food-prep areas, along with more dead roaches under equipment, triggering another priority violation. The deli finally passed a reinspection on June 18 and was allowed to reopen.

The closures come as Barsky pursues plans announced earlier this year to expand The Bagel with a new location in suburban Glenview. That expansion has not been affected by the Chicago closures.

Stella's Diner has operated on North Broadway for years, serving breakfast and late-night meals to neighborhood customers. City records show violations at the restaurant were resolved every previous time inspectors flagged them, before the June 26 inspection and Thursday's closure.

Stella's cannot reopen until it passes a reinspection showing the infestation has been eliminated and the maintenance issues corrected. The city's inspection database will show the results once that follow-up visit happens, the same process that allowed The Bagel to reopen last month after its own suspension. No date for that reinspection had been set as of Monday.