Cooked?
El Chalan
- resultFail
- critical violations3
- last inspectedJuly 22, 2026
- address405 Chelsea St, East Boston 02128
Is El Chalan clean?
El Chalan is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on July 22, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.
What did inspectors find at El Chalan?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 22, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Packaged and Unpackaged Food-Separation Packaging and Segregation (C) • Several containers of cooked food observed stored in walk-in unit without cover. Provide coverPackaged and Unpackaged Food-Separation Packaging and Segregation (C) • Several containers of cooked food observed stored in walk-in unit without cover. Provide cover
- ⚠️Food Storage Containers Identified with Common Name of Food (C) • Multiple squeeze bottles observed without labels. Provide labels when removed from original containers ( repeated Violation)Food Storage Containers Identified with Common Name of Food (C) • Multiple squeeze bottles observed without labels. Provide labels when removed from original containers ( repeated Violation)
- ⚠️In-Use Utensils Between-Use Storage (C) • Portion cup observed stored inside rice bulk bin. Discontinue provide scoop with handle to prevent contamination by hands ( corrected on site)In-Use Utensils Between-Use Storage (C) • Portion cup observed stored inside rice bulk bin. Discontinue provide scoop with handle to prevent contamination by hands ( corrected on site)
- ⚠️Food Storage-Preventing Contamination from the Premises (C) • Multiple buckets of foods observed stored on the floor in different areas of the establishment ( walk-in kitchen). ElevateFood Storage-Preventing Contamination from the Premises (C) • Multiple buckets of foods observed stored on the floor in different areas of the establishment ( walk-in kitchen). Elevate
- ⚠️Cooling (P) • Salad stored in a to-go container was observed at an elevated ambient temperature of 50F. PIC was instruced to properly cool the food to 41F or below and mantain proper cold holding temperatures.criticalCooling (P) • Salad stored in a to-go container was observed at an elevated ambient temperature of 50F. PIC was instruced to properly cool the food to 41F or below and mantain proper cold holding temperatures.
- ⚠️(A)(2) and (B) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Slice tomato cucumber diced red pepper on a true prep table with refrigerated is 50F. Provide proper cold Holding of 41F or Belowcritical(A)(2) and (B) Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Hot and Cold Holding (P) • Slice tomato cucumber diced red pepper on a true prep table with refrigerated is 50F. Provide proper cold Holding of 41F or Below
- ⚠️Ready-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Large quantity of prepped foods stored in multiple cold units observed without date marking. Provide made/discard date before storing.Per PIC most of the foods were prepped this morning and the day beforeReady-To-Eat Time/Temperature Control for Safety Food Date Marking (Pf) • Large quantity of prepped foods stored in multiple cold units observed without date marking. Provide made/discard date before storing.Per PIC most of the foods were prepped this morning and the day before
- ⚠️Characteristics-Materials for Construction and Repair (C) • Under counter refrigerator shelvings observed lined with aluminum foils. DiscontinueCharacteristics-Materials for Construction and Repair (C) • Under counter refrigerator shelvings observed lined with aluminum foils. Discontinue
- ⚠️Sponges Use Limitation (C) • Facilty uses yellow sponge for warewashing and to clean equipments. Discontinue ( repeated violation)Sponges Use Limitation (C) • Facilty uses yellow sponge for warewashing and to clean equipments. Discontinue ( repeated violation)
- ⚠️Cutting Surfaces (C) • White cutting board observed heavily stained. clean to remove/ resurface or replaceCutting Surfaces (C) • White cutting board observed heavily stained. clean to remove/ resurface or replace
- ⚠️(B) and (C) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (C) • Refrigeration and hot holding unit case were observed with soil buildup. Clean to remove(B) and (C) Equipment Food-Contact Surfaces Nonfood-Contact Surfaces and Utensils (C) • Refrigeration and hot holding unit case were observed with soil buildup. Clean to remove
- ⚠️Floors Walls and Ceilings-Cleanability (C) • Floor throughout the kitchen area warewashing area observed in need of deep cleaning. Clean to removeFloors Walls and Ceilings-Cleanability (C) • Floor throughout the kitchen area warewashing area observed in need of deep cleaning. Clean to remove
- ⚠️Walls and Ceilings Attachments (C) • Restroom ceiling vent observed with dust build- up /clean to removeWalls and Ceilings Attachments (C) • Restroom ceiling vent observed with dust build- up /clean to remove
- ⚠️Sanitizers Criteria-Chemicals (P) • three bay sink and red bucket Wiping cloth chlorine sanitizer exceeds 200PPM. Recommendation 50-100PPM. Corrected by PICcriticalSanitizers Criteria-Chemicals (P) • three bay sink and red bucket Wiping cloth chlorine sanitizer exceeds 200PPM. Recommendation 50-100PPM. Corrected by PIC
When was El Chalan last inspected?
El Chalan has 125 inspections on record going back to May 31, 2007. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| July 22, 2026 | Fail | |
| May 8, 2026 | Pass | |
| April 29, 2026 | Fail | |
| April 7, 2026 | Fail | |
| March 31, 2026 | Fail | |
| November 17, 2025 | Pass | |
| November 10, 2025 | Fail | |
| July 2, 2025 | Pass | |
| June 25, 2025 | Fail | |
| March 3, 2025 | Pass | |
| February 24, 2025 | Fail | |
| November 23, 2024 | Pass |
El Chalan vs East Boston
East Boston runs 92% clean across 529 tracked restaurants — 472 clean, 19 mid, 21 cooked.
Against the 529 spots Cooked tracks in East Boston, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.
Other spots in East Boston
How Boston grades restaurants
Boston reports inspections as a pass or a fail, with no score and no letter. What separates a bad fail from a trivial one is the violation severity ladder: a single star is a minor issue, two stars is more serious, and three stars marks a critical foodborne-illness risk factor — temperature abuse, bad handwashing, cross-contamination. A restaurant can fail on paperwork alone, which is not the same as failing on food safety. Cooked splits Boston fails accordingly: a fail with a three-star violation reads cooked, a fail on minor items only reads mid.
Source: Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division via Analyze Boston. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated July 22, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.