Cooked?
El Taco Azteca
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedApril 16, 2026
- address2151 W Cermak Rd, Chicago 60608
Is El Taco Azteca clean?
El Taco Azteca is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 16, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at El Taco Azteca?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 16, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧫food prep surfaces dirtyProper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED 3 DOOR/COLD HOLDING UNIT AT 54.5. NO TCS FOOD BEING STORED IN THE COOLER AT TIME OF INSPECTION. COOLER TAGGED. 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED
- ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED PERSON IN CHARGE STIRRING RICE WITHOUT A HAIR RESTRAINT. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAINPersonal Cleanliness • OBSERVED PERSON IN CHARGE STIRRING RICE WITHOUT A HAIR RESTRAINT. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN
- ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • NO SIGNAGE TO DETERMINE WASH, RINSE AND SANITIZE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAINWarewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • NO SIGNAGE TO DETERMINE WASH, RINSE AND SANITIZE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN
- ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED CARDBOARD BOXES ON THE SIDE OF THE DUMPSTER. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAINGarbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED CARDBOARD BOXES ON THE SIDE OF THE DUMPSTER. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED FLOORS, WALLS, SHELVES AND CEILINGS WITH ACCUMULATION OF DUST AND GREASE. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN
When was El Taco Azteca last inspected?
El Taco Azteca has 18 inspections on record going back to May 28, 2019. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 16, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| January 6, 2026 | Pass | |
| October 22, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 12, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 5, 2025 | Fail | |
| October 7, 2024 | Pass | |
| October 3, 2024 | Fail | |
| September 24, 2024 | Fail | |
| September 27, 2023 | Pass | |
| September 20, 2023 | Fail | |
| September 14, 2023 | — | |
| April 5, 2022 | Pass w/ Conditions |
El Taco Azteca vs Lower West Side
Lower West Side runs 68% clean across 1,153 tracked restaurants — 775 clean, 162 mid, 205 cooked.
Against the 1,153 spots Cooked tracks in Lower West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 49% of them.
Other spots in Lower West Side
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 April 16, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.