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El Mezcalito Cantina & Grill
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedJanuary 15, 2026
- address5147-5151 S Archer Ave, Chicago 60632
Is El Mezcalito Cantina & Grill clean?
El Mezcalito Cantina & Grill is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 15, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at El Mezcalito Cantina & Grill?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 15, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • 5-205.15: OBSERVED LEAKING FROM BOTH PIPES AND DRAINPIPE OF THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO FIX ALL LEAKS AT THREE COMPARTMENT SINK AND MAINTAIN.
- ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • 5-501.17: OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • 5-501.17: OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE COVERED RECEPTACLE IN ALL GENDER EMPLOYEE WASHROOM FOR SANITARY PRODUCTS.
- ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • 6-501.14: OBSERVED BUILDUP ON FILTERS OF BOTH HOODS ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE BUILDUP AND CLEAN FILTERS IN BOTH HOODS ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT IN REAR PREP AREA AND MAINTAIN.Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • 6-501.14: OBSERVED BUILDUP ON FILTERS OF BOTH HOODS ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE BUILDUP AND CLEAN FILTERS IN BOTH HOODS ABOVE COOKING EQUIPMENT IN REAR PREP AREA AND MAINTAIN.
- ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • 2-102.13: AT TIME OF INSPECTION NO PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING PROVIDED FOR ANY FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS.All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • 2-102.13: AT TIME OF INSPECTION NO PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING PROVIDED FOR ANY FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS.
When was El Mezcalito Cantina & Grill last inspected?
El Mezcalito Cantina & Grill has 4 inspections on record going back to January 30, 2025.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| January 15, 2026 | Pass | |
| January 8, 2026 | Fail | |
| February 3, 2025 | Pass | |
| January 30, 2025 | Fail |
El Mezcalito Cantina & Grill vs West Elsdon
West Elsdon runs 76% clean across 399 tracked restaurants — 299 clean, 61 mid, 35 cooked.
Against the 399 spots Cooked tracks in West Elsdon, this one comes out cleaner than 27% of them.
Other spots in West Elsdon
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 January 15, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.