El Palenque

• resultFail
• critical violations0
• last inspectedSeptember 9, 2013 →
• address5173 S Archer Ave, Chicago 60632
• cuisineLiquor

Is El Palenque clean?

El Palenque is no longer in business. Chicago Department of Public Health recorded it as out of business on December 28, 2022, which is an administrative result rather than a health finding — the business closed or moved, it was not shut down over conditions. Its last actual inspection result was Fail on September 9, 2013. The record below is kept for history; it says nothing about whatever occupies the address now.

What did inspectors find at El Palenque?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 9, 2013, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Adequate Number, Convenient, Accessible, Properly Designed And Installed
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored

When was El Palenque last inspected?

El Palenque has 3 inspections on record going back to September 9, 2013.

El Palenque vs West Elsdon

West Elsdon runs 80% clean across 201 tracked restaurants — 157 clean, 36 mid, 4 cooked.

Other spots in West Elsdon

• ✓ Pulaski
  clean · May 18, 2010
• ✓ Relay Store # 4182
  cooked · December 13, 2013
• ✓ Carniceria La Hacienda, Inc.
  clean · July 31, 2026
• ? Pizza Kitchen
  cooked · January 16, 2013
• ✓ Marathon
  cooked · October 28, 2011
• ✓! Lawndale Mobil Mart
  mid · February 28, 2019

See every restaurant inspection 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.

Read the Chicago ratings guide →

Inspection findings and available history come from the authority’s published records. Cooked checks daily; publication can lag behind an inspection. Read the date on each result and check the official source for newer information.

Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated September 9, 2013. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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Cooked covers 10 cities on official inspection data — see who's clean, mid, or cooked near you.