El Caballo Locco

• resultPass
• critical violations1
• last inspectedFebruary 10, 2026
• address4024 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago 60618

Is El Caballo Locco clean?

El Caballo Locco is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 10, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at El Caballo Locco?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 10, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HAND WASHING SIGNS OR POSTERS NEAR HAND WASHING SINK IN THE MENS WASHROOM. MUST PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OUTER OPENINGS NOT PROTECTED. OBSERVED 1/2 INCH OPENING ON BOTTOM OF REAR SIDE DOOR. MUST MAKE DOOR RODENT PROOF TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED ICE SCOOPS STORED ON TOP OF ICE BIN IN FRONT BAR AREA ALSO OBSERVED ICE SCOOPS STORED INSIDE ICE MACHINE LOCATED IN THE BASEMENT. MUST PROPERLY STORE ICE SCOOPS IN A CLEAN CONTAINER TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED ICE SCOOPS STORED ON TOP OF ICE BIN IN FRONT BAR AREA ALSO OBSERVED ICE SCOOPS STORED INSIDE ICE MACHINE LOCATED IN THE BASEMENT. MUST PROPERLY STORE ICE SCOOPS IN A CLEAN CONTAINER TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED BOXES OF LIQUOR STORED ON FLOOR IN REAR LIQUOR STORAGE ROOM, INSIDE WALK-IN LIQUOR COOLER AND BASEMENT. MUST ELEVATE ITEMS OF THE FLOOR AND MAINTAIN.
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED BOXES OF LIQUOR STORED ON FLOOR IN REAR LIQUOR STORAGE ROOM, INSIDE WALK-IN LIQUOR COOLER AND BASEMENT. MUST ELEVATE ITEMS OF THE FLOOR AND MAINTAIN.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED RAW UNFINISHED WOOD WALLS UNDERNEATH INTERIOR SURFACES MUST BE SMOOTH, EASILY CLEANABLE AND NON-ABSORBENT SURFACES.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK DRAINING SLOW IN FRONT KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA. MUST REPAIR AND MAINTAIN. ADDITIONAL WATER PRESSURE NEEDED AT THE EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK IN REAR DISHWASHING AREA. MUST REPAIR AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED LEAKING FAUCET BASE AT THE 3-COMPARTMENT SINK IN REAR DISHWASHING AREA. MUST REPAIR AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE PROVIDED IN THE WOMENS WASHROOM. MUST PROVIDE COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED NO COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE PROVIDED IN THE WOMENS WASHROOM. MUST PROVIDE COVERED WASTE RECEPTACLE AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED DUST BUILD UP ON CEILING AND WALLS VENTILATION VENTS THROUGHOUT PREMISES. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED DIRT AND FOOD DEBRIS ON WALL AND FLOOR IN FRONT BAR AREA, REAR KITCHEN FOOD PREPARATION AREA AND REAR DISHWASHING AREA. MUST CLEAN AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES. • OBSERVED CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS ON BASEMENT FOOD STORAGE AREA. MUST REMOVE CLUTTER CLEAN AND ORGANIZE AREA TO PREVENT RODENT HARBORAGE. • OBSERVED WATER DAMAGED AND BROKEN CEILING TILES IN BOTH WASHROOMS. MUST REPAIR/REPLACE AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED DAMAGES AND BROKEN FLOOR TILES IN KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA, REAR DISWASHING AREA AND INSIDE BOTH WASHROOMS. MUST REPAIR/REPLACE AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED PEELING PAINT ON CEILING ABOVE PREP COOLERS IN REAR KITCHEN FOOD PREP AREA. MUST REPAINT AND MAINTAIN.

When was El Caballo Locco last inspected?

El Caballo Locco has 27 inspections on record going back to February 4, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.

El Caballo Locco vs Irving Park

Irving Park runs 64% clean across 804 tracked restaurants — 516 clean, 141 mid, 146 cooked.

Against the 804 spots Cooked tracks in Irving Park, this one comes out cleaner than 36% of them.

Other spots in Irving Park

• ✕ Galapagos Cafe
  cooked · September 16, 2010
• ✓ Prestige Liquors
  clean · September 20, 2013
• ✓ Milano's Cafe & Bar
  clean · May 29, 2025
• ? Jadran, Ltd
  cooked · January 19, 2016
• ✓! Snappy Convenience Center/Subway/Dunkin Donut
  mid · February 8, 2021
• ? Papi's Cafe
  cooked · May 3, 2011

See every restaurant inspection in Irving 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 February 10, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.