Cooked?
El Pichiz
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedFebruary 15, 2024
- address5409 W North Ave, Chicago 60639
Is El Pichiz clean?
El Pichiz is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 15, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at El Pichiz?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 15, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 📋certified manager paperwork missingcriticalCity Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • OBSERVED NO CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION MANAGER ON SITE WHILE TCS FOODS ARE PREPPED (SUCH AS BEEF). THE CERTIFIED MANAGER CERTIFICATE ON SITE HAD EXPIRED ON 8/23, AND ALSO CERTIFIED MANAGER MARTHA HERNANDEZ ARRIVED ON SITE AT 3:30 PM. INSTRUCTED MUST HAVE A CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION MANAGER ON SITE AT ALL TIMES WHEN TCS FOODS ARE PREPPED/SERVED. INSTRUCTED MUST POST A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION MANAGER CERTIFICATION IN PLAIN VIEW OF CUSTOMERS AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED TCS FOODS HELD AT IMPROPER INTERNAL TEMPERATURES IN THE FRONT PREP COLD HOLDING UNIT, SUCH AS 10 LBS OF COOKED BEEF MIXED WITH POTATOES AT 52.2F. THE MANAGER DISCARDED AND DENATURED A TOTAL OF 10 LBS AT $45. ALL COLD TCS FOOD MUST MAINTAIN 41F OR BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-005.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED ACCUMULATED GREASE AND FOOD DEBRIS ON INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT, PREP TABLES, COOLERS, FREEZERS, SHELVING UNITS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED A HEAVY ACCUMULATION OF DIRT, DUST, GREASE, FOOD SPLATTER, AND FOOD DEBRIS ON THE WALLS AND FLOORS, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE HOT FOOD SERVICE LINE UNDER AND AROUND THE COOKING EQUIPMENT AND NON-COOKING EQUIPMENT. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN ALL AREAS.
- ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES MUST COMPLETE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON SITE AT ALL TIMESAll Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES MUST COMPLETE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON SITE AT ALL TIMES
- 🥜allergen training missingAllergen Training As Required • OBSERVED NO ALLERGEN TRAINING ON SITE AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED ALL EMPLOYEES HOLDING CITY OF CHICAGO FOODSERVICE MANAGER CERTIFICATES TO COMPLETE ALLERGEN TRAINING AND MAINTAIN RECORDS THEREOF ON SITE AT ALL TIMES.
When was El Pichiz last inspected?
El Pichiz has 4 inspections on record going back to March 22, 2023.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 23, 2025 | closed by the city | |
| April 21, 2025 | — | |
| February 15, 2024 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| March 22, 2023 | Pass |
El Pichiz vs Austin
Austin runs 65% clean across 770 tracked restaurants — 493 clean, 148 mid, 121 cooked.
Against the 770 spots Cooked tracks in Austin, this one comes out cleaner than 22% of them.
Other spots in Austin
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 15, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.