Cooked?
El Taconazo Express
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations0
- last inspectedFebruary 4, 2026
- address3129 W Armitage Ave, Chicago 60647
Is El Taconazo Express clean?
El Taconazo Express is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 4, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at El Taconazo Express?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 4, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🧊food not cooled down rightProper Date Marking And Disposition • OBSERVED APPROXIMATLEY 60 LBS COOKED CHICKEN AS WELL AS 40 LBS COOKED STEAK STORED INSIDE WALK IN COOLER WITHOUT LABELS DURING TIME OF INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN DISCARD DATE LABELS ON TCS FOODS PREPARED ON SITE AND HELD FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS.PIC VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED SAID FOOD ITEMS AT THIS TIME. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
- 🌡️thermometers missingThermometers Provided & Accurate • UNABLE TO LOCATE THERMOMETER INSDIE COLD HOLD UNIT WITH TWO DOOR ATTACHED IN FRONT OF SERVICE WINDOW. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
- 🧻grimy wiping clothsWiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED SOILED WIPING CLOTHS ON PREP TABLES THROUGHOUT DURING INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO STORE INSIDE CHLORINE SOLUTION @ AT LEAST 50PPM IN BETWEEN USES.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED UPRIGHT COOLER NEXT TO PREP TABLE AS WELL AS 2 DOOR COOLING UNIT WITH COLD HOLD ATTACHED NEAR SERVICE WINDOW WITH RIPPED GASKETS WITH BUILT UP FOOD DEBRIS. NOTED COLD HOLD UNIT EQUIPMENT LID HELD TOGETHER WITH STRING.INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE AND MAINTAIN EQUIPMENT IN GOOD REPAIR AS REQUIRED.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED FRONT SERVICE AREA COUNTER AS WELL AS NON FOOD STORAGE/ OFFICE SPACE ATTACHED TO DINING AREA WITH EXCESSIVE CLUTTER, OLD EQUIPMENT, MISCELLANEUS ITEMS STORED ON FLOORS. INSTRUCTED TO ORGANIZE AND ELEVATE ALL ITEMS AT LEAST 6 INCHES OFF FLOOR, MUST MAINTAIN PREMISE
When was El Taconazo Express last inspected?
El Taconazo Express has 15 inspections on record going back to November 6, 2020. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| February 4, 2026 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| May 28, 2025 | Pass | |
| May 23, 2025 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| February 3, 2025 | Pass | |
| January 17, 2024 | Pass | |
| July 14, 2023 | Pass | |
| July 7, 2023 | Fail | |
| January 12, 2023 | Pass | |
| October 25, 2022 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| October 21, 2022 | — | |
| March 25, 2022 | Pass | |
| March 18, 2022 | Fail |
El Taconazo Express vs Logan Square
Logan Square runs 66% clean across 1,321 tracked restaurants — 870 clean, 253 mid, 186 cooked.
Against the 1,321 spots Cooked tracks in Logan Square, this one comes out cleaner than 26% of them.
Other spots in Logan Square
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 4, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.