El Tepache

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations2
• last inspectedJune 25, 2010
• address3614-3616 W 26Th St, Chicago 60623

Is El Tepache clean?

El Tepache is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 25, 2010. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at El Tepache?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 25, 2010, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Potentially Hazardous Food Meets Temperature Requirement During Storage, Preparation Display And Service • All cold food shall be stored at a temperature of 40F or less. POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES; FOUND 30LBS. OF COOKED BEANS AT 64.7F IN LARGE CONTAINER, INSIDE WALK IN COOLER, COOK STATED BEANS CKD YESTERDAY. ALSO FOUND SMALL CONTAINER 2LBS. OF CKD. BEEF NEAR GRILL AT 47.2F, AND 3LBS. OF CKD. PORK AT 55.4F. MUST KEEP COLD FOODS AT 40F OR BELOW. FOOD DISCARDED BY OWNER. V=$100.OO. INADEQUATE FOOD PROTECTION. CITATION ISSUED, 7-38-005[A]CRITICAL.
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  Sanitizing Rinse For Equipment And Utensils: Clean, Proper Temperature, Concentration, Exposure Time • Equipment and utensils should get proper exposure to the sanitizing solution during the rinse cycle. Bactericidal treatment shall consist of exposure of all dish and utensil surfaces to a rinse of clean water at a temperature of not less than 180F. OBSERVED DISH WASHER, WASHING AND RINSING MULTI USE UTENSILS IN BASEMENT 3PART SINK, BUT NOT SANITIZING. INSTRUCTED/DEMOSTRATED PROPER SET UP OF 3PART SINK WITH 100PPM CHLORINE. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-030 CRITICAL.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. MUST PROVIDE DIPPING WELL FOR ICE CREAM CHEST FREEZER.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. MUST PROVIDE DIPPING WELL FOR ICE CREAM CHEST FREEZER.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • All utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each usage. MUST CLEAN-SANITIZE; COOLERS, FREEZERS, ALL COOKING EQUIPMENT IN BOTH COOKING AREAS, EXTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE, BOTTOM PANELS OF PREP TABLES, SHELVES, MOP SINK, WALK IN COOLER SHELVES, AND EXTERIOR OF DRIED FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. MUST CLEAN FLOORS, UNDER, BEHIND, EQUIPMENT AT CORNERS AND ALONG WALLS, THRU-OUT PREMISES.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. MUST CLEAN FLOORS, UNDER, BEHIND, EQUIPMENT AT CORNERS AND ALONG WALLS, THRU-OUT PREMISES.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. MUST REPAIR NORTH WALL NEAR PREP REACH IN COOLER FRONT PREP AREA, AND CLEAN CEILING AND WALLS THRU-OUT BASEMENT PREP AREA.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. MUST REPAIR NORTH WALL NEAR PREP REACH IN COOLER FRONT PREP AREA, AND CLEAN CEILING AND WALLS THRU-OUT BASEMENT PREP AREA.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Ventilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • Ventilation: All plumbing fixtures, such as toilets, sinks, washbasins, etc., must be adequately trapped, vented, and re-vented and properly connected to the sewer in accordance with the plumbing chapter of the Municipal Code of Chicago and the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Health. MUST REPAIR 3PART SINK FAUCET AT 1ST FLOOR REAR DISH WASHING AREA, AND PIPES UNDER BASEMENT 3PART SINK.

When was El Tepache last inspected?

El Tepache has 2 inspections on record going back to June 25, 2010.

El Tepache vs South Lawndale

South Lawndale runs 64% clean across 668 tracked restaurants — 427 clean, 92 mid, 146 cooked.

Against the 668 spots Cooked tracks in South Lawndale, this one comes out cleaner than 23% of them.

Other spots in South Lawndale

• ? Sunshine Grocery
  cooked · August 20, 2010
• ? Los Tejabanes
  cooked · November 18, 2010
• ✓! Ace Coffee Bar
  mid · November 9, 2017
• ✕ Las Asadas Mar Y Tierra
  cooked · June 17, 2010
• ✓! Donaldo's Chiles & Spices
  mid · July 2, 2010
• ✓! Los Sauces Taqueria
  mid · January 6, 2010

See every restaurant inspection in South Lawndale →

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 June 25, 2010. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.