Cooked?
El Asador Express
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations2
- last inspectedJuly 25, 2024
- address2753 W 51St St, Chicago 60632
Is El Asador Express clean?
El Asador Express is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 25, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at El Asador Express?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 25, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 📋no certified food manager on dutycriticalPerson In Charge Present, Demonstrates Knowledge, And Performs Duties • OBSERVED NO PERSON IN CHARGE WITH SANITATION MANAGER TRAINING.
- 📋certified manager paperwork missingcriticalCity Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION MANAGER CERTIFICATE ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE THAT VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION MANAGER CERTIFICATE IS REQUIRED ON SITE AT ALL TIMES AS WELL AS CERTIFIED MANAGER WHILE TCS FOODS ARE PREPARED AND SERVED(BEEF, STEAK). PRIORITY FOUNDATION #7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
- ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED ICE SCOOP IMPROPERLY STORED INSIDE OF ICE MACHINE LAYING ON ITS SIDE. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE TO PROPERLY STORE SCOOP IN SANITARY CONTAINER.In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED ICE SCOOP IMPROPERLY STORED INSIDE OF ICE MACHINE LAYING ON ITS SIDE. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE TO PROPERLY STORE SCOOP IN SANITARY CONTAINER.
- ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES ON SITE FOR FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE TO DIRECT FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES TO OBTAIN TRAINING AND RETAIN CERTIFICATES ON SITE.All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES ON SITE FOR FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES. INSTRUCTED PERSON IN CHARGE TO DIRECT FOOD HANDLER EMPLOYEES TO OBTAIN TRAINING AND RETAIN CERTIFICATES ON SITE.
When was El Asador Express last inspected?
El Asador Express has 15 inspections on record going back to May 13, 2015. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| July 3, 2025 | closed by the city | |
| July 25, 2024 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| August 17, 2023 | Pass | |
| December 19, 2022 | Pass | |
| December 12, 2022 | Fail | |
| March 12, 2021 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| March 22, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| March 22, 2018 | Pass | |
| July 24, 2017 | Pass | |
| August 23, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| November 13, 2015 | Pass | |
| October 29, 2015 | Pass |
El Asador Express vs Gage Park
Gage Park runs 71% clean across 393 tracked restaurants — 278 clean, 70 mid, 42 cooked.
Against the 393 spots Cooked tracks in Gage Park, this one comes out cleaner than 11% of them.
Other spots in Gage Park
How Chicago grades restaurants
Chicago does not use letter grades. Every inspection ends in one of three official results: Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail. Pass with Conditions means violations were found but corrected on the spot or under a deadline — the restaurant is open, with homework. A Fail means serious violations went uncorrected, and it usually brings a re-inspection within days. Chicago also flags “priority” violations, the ones most likely to actually make someone sick. Cooked reads Pass as clean, Pass with Conditions as mid, and Fail as cooked, and shows the itemized violations behind each result.
Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated July 25, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.