El Nopal

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedAugust 16, 2024
• address3648 W 26Th St, Chicago 60623
• cuisineBakery

Is El Nopal clean?

El Nopal is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on August 16, 2024. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at El Nopal?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on August 16, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED APPROXIMATELY 30 DOZEN EGGS, 40 LBS BUTTER, AND A GALLON OF MILK STORED INSIDE 3 3-DOOR COOLING UNITS AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES. NOTED TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 57-62F. INSTRUCTED TO STORE COLD TCS FOODS AT 41F OR BELOW AND MAINTAIN. THE PERSON IN CHARGE IS VOLUNATARILY DISCARDED AT THIS TIME. COST $280. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED 3-DOOR COOLING UNIT IN BAKERY PREP AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES DURING THE TIME OF INSPECTION WHILE STORING TCS FOODS (EGGS, BUTTER, MILK). TEMPERATURE READING @ 61F, INSTRUCTED TO DISCONTINUE USE OF EQUIPMENT AND REPAIR UNIT TO 41F OR BELOW AS REQUIRED. UNIT TAGGED AND HELD FOR INSPECTION. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • OBSERVED BROKEN THERMOMETERS OUTSIDE OF THE WALK-IN COOLER AND MISSING THERMOMETERS IN ALL COOLING UNITS LOCATED IN THE BAKERY PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • NOTED TORN GASKETS ON 3-DOOR COOLING UNIT CONTAINING EGGS AND MILK IN REAR PREP. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN EQUIPMENT IN GOOD CONDITION.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • NOTED LEAK ON 3-COMPARTMENT SINK FAUCET NECK. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE TOWEL USED TO MEND PIPING, REPAIR, AND MAINTAIN IN GOOD CONDITION
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED WATER-DAMAGED CEILING TILES IN THE FRONT PREP AREA AS WELL AS BAKERY PREP THROUGHOUT. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED MULTIPLE BURNED-OUT BULBS IN BAKERY PREP AND INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE AND INCREASE LIGHTING IN SAID AREA.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED MULTIPLE BURNED-OUT BULBS IN BAKERY PREP AND INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE AND INCREASE LIGHTING IN SAID AREA.

When was El Nopal last inspected?

El Nopal has 8 inspections on record going back to July 26, 2018.

El Nopal vs South Lawndale

South Lawndale runs 64% clean across 668 tracked restaurants — 427 clean, 92 mid, 146 cooked.

Against the 668 spots Cooked tracks in South Lawndale, this one comes out cleaner than 32% of them.

Other spots in South Lawndale

• ✓! La Escondida
  mid · August 2, 2018
• ✓ Los Mangos
  clean · May 12, 2021
• ✓! Chicano Hamburger & Wings Llc
  mid · October 17, 2018
• ✓ Es La Hora Del Chivo
  clean · January 9, 2026
• ✓ Osito's Tap
  clean · November 7, 2019
• ✓! Fruteria Andy #2
  mid · January 29, 2019

See every restaurant inspection in South Lawndale →

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 August 16, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.