El Nuevo Mexicano

• resultPass
• critical violations1
• last inspectedSeptember 2, 2025
• address2914 N Clark St, Chicago 60657

Is El Nuevo Mexicano clean?

El Nuevo Mexicano is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on September 2, 2025. 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 Nuevo Mexicano?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 2, 2025, 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 SINKS IN FOOD PREP AREA, BAR, AND REAR COFFEE STATION AREA. MUST PROVIDE HAND WASHING SIGNS OR POSTERS AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • NOTED BULK FOOD ITEMS STORED INSIDE CONTAINERS AT THE BASEMENT FOOD PREP/DRY STORAGE NOT PROPERLY LABELED. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT THAT ALL BULK AND WORKING FOOD INGREDIENT CONTAINERS MUST BE LABELED WITH CONTENTS NAME.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON TOP OF PREP TABLES IN REAR FOOD AREA. MUST PROPERLY STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN A SANITIZING SOLUTION WHEN NOT IN USE.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED ICE SCOOPS STORED ON TOP OF ICE BINS IN FRONT BAR AREA. MUST PROPERLY STORE ICE BINS IN A CLEAN CONTAINER TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • OBSERVED ICE SCOOPS STORED ON TOP OF ICE BINS IN FRONT BAR AREA. MUST PROPERLY STORE ICE BINS IN A CLEAN CONTAINER TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED A FEW ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR INSIDE LIQUOR ROOM LOCATED IN THE BASEMENT. MUST PROPERLY STORE ALL ITEMS 6INCHES OFF THE FLOOR
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED A FEW ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR INSIDE LIQUOR ROOM LOCATED IN THE BASEMENT. MUST PROPERLY STORE ALL ITEMS 6INCHES OFF THE FLOOR
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED A BIG OPENING AND WATER DAMAGED CEILING TILES ABOVE UPRIGHT REFRIGERATOR ON BASEMENT FOOD STORAGE AREA. MUST SEAL OPENINGS AND MAINTAIN FACILITY IN A GOOD REPAIR. OBSERVED MISSING AND DAMGED WALL TILES BEHIND LAW TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE.MUST REPAIR/REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.

When was El Nuevo Mexicano last inspected?

El Nuevo Mexicano has 27 inspections on record going back to January 11, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

El Nuevo Mexicano vs Lake View

Lake View runs 68% clean across 2,211 tracked restaurants — 1,492 clean, 440 mid, 272 cooked.

Against the 2,211 spots Cooked tracks in Lake View, this one comes out cleaner than 60% of them.

Other spots in Lake View

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  cooked · August 28, 2018
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  cooked · June 29, 2016
• ? Racine Pantry
  cooked · May 1, 2012
• ✓! Subway
  cooked · February 7, 2019
• ? Naper Natural Pizza, Llc.
  cooked · December 10, 2014
• ? Banana Leaf
  cooked · November 26, 2014

See every restaurant inspection in Lake View →

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 September 2, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.