El Tepache

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedMay 17, 2011
• address3614-3616 W 26Th St, Chicago 60623

Is El Tepache clean?

El Tepache is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 17, 2011. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at El Tepache?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 17, 2011, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers.MUST LABEL DESSERTS(NAME,ADDRESS,PHONE NUMBER,INGREDIENTS),BULK FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS.
  Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers.MUST LABEL DESSERTS(NAME,ADDRESS,PHONE NUMBER,INGREDIENTS),BULK FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS.
• ⚠️Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use.MUST STORE KNIFES FROM IN BETWEEN EQUIPMENT.
  Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use.MUST STORE KNIFES FROM IN BETWEEN EQUIPMENT.
• ⚠️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 REMOVE RUST FROM LID OF 1ST FL. GREASE TRAP AT 3- COMPARTMENT SINK IN REAR AREA,WALK IN COOLER SHELVING UNIT.MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE WORN DOOR GASKET ON FRUIT PREP COOLER,LID ON CHEST FREEZER IN POOR REPAIR,WORN CUTTING BOARD,VANITY DOOR IN POOR REPAIR IN WOMEN'S TOILET ROOM.MUST PROVIDE SNEEZE GUARD AT HOT HOLDING UNIT,SPLASH GUARD IN BETWEEN 3- COMPARTMENT SINK & HAND SINK IN BASEMENT,SINK STOPPERS FOR 3- COMPARTMENT SINKS.
  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 REMOVE RUST FROM LID OF 1ST FL. GREASE TRAP AT 3- COMPARTMENT SINK IN REAR AREA,WALK IN COOLER SHELVING UNIT.MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE WORN DOOR GASKET ON FRUIT PREP COOLER,LID ON CHEST FREEZER IN POOR REPAIR,WORN CUTTING BOARD,VANITY DOOR IN POOR REPAIR IN WOMEN'S TOILET ROOM.MUST PROVIDE SNEEZE GUARD AT HOT HOLDING UNIT,SPLASH GUARD IN BETWEEN 3- COMPARTMENT SINK & HAND SINK IN BASEMENT,SINK STOPPERS FOR 3- COMPARTMENT SINKS.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • All food and non-food contact surfaces of equipment and all food storage utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized daily.MUST CLEAN FILTERS,DEEP FRYER,WALL VENTS.
• ⚠️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 REMOVE WATER FROM BASEMENT FLOOR & KEEP DRY.
  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 REMOVE WATER FROM BASEMENT FLOOR & KEEP DRY.
• ⚠️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 OR REPLACE DAMAGED WALL BASE IN FRONT PREP AREA,STAINED CEILING TILES LEADING INTO BASEMENT,CEILING IN POOR REPAIR IN MEN'S TOILET ROOM.MUST SEAL OPENINGS IN UPPER WALL IN VESTIBUL & DINING 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 OR REPLACE DAMAGED WALL BASE IN FRONT PREP AREA,STAINED CEILING TILES LEADING INTO BASEMENT,CEILING IN POOR REPAIR IN MEN'S TOILET ROOM.MUST SEAL OPENINGS IN UPPER WALL IN VESTIBUL & DINING AREA.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Lighting: Required Minimum Foot-Candles Of Light Provided, Fixtures Shielded • Shielding to protect against broken glass falling into food shall be provided for all artificial lighting sources in preparation, service, and display facilities.MUST PROVIDE SHATTER PROOF BULBS OR LIGHT SHIELD IN FRUIT 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 OR REPLACE BASEMENT PREP AREA HAND SINK IN POOR REPAIR,LEAKY PIPE AT 1ST FL. REAR PREP 3- COMPARTMENT SINK.
• ⚠️Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • All food establishments that display, prepare, or store potentially hazardous foods shall have calibrated metal stem thermometers, provided and conspicuous, for refrigerated and hot food units.CHEST FREEZER & FRONT PREP COOLER.
  Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • All food establishments that display, prepare, or store potentially hazardous foods shall have calibrated metal stem thermometers, provided and conspicuous, for refrigerated and hot food units.CHEST FREEZER & FRONT PREP COOLER.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • All parts of the food establishment and all parts of the property used in connection with the operation of the establishment shall be kept neat and clean and should not produce any offensive odors.MUST REMOVE & ORGANIZE UNUSED EQUIPMENT FROM REAR YARD.
• ⚠️Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • Between uses and during storage ice dispensing utensils and ice receptacles shall be stored in a way that protects them from contamination.MUST STORE ICE SCOOP IN CLEAN CONTAINER.
  Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • Between uses and during storage ice dispensing utensils and ice receptacles shall be stored in a way that protects them from contamination.MUST STORE ICE SCOOP IN CLEAN CONTAINER.

When was El Tepache last inspected?

El Tepache has 3 inspections on record going back to August 11, 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 40% of them.

Other spots in South Lawndale

• ✓ El Consulado Taqueria
  clean · August 10, 2010
• ✓ Supermercado Moroleon
  clean · September 3, 2010
• ✓ Santos #2 Food Mart
  clean · December 5, 2014
• ✓ Dos Pilares Grocery Store
  clean · August 25, 2010
• ✓! Andy's Grocery
  mid · June 22, 2012
• ✓ El Mexicano
  clean · August 25, 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 May 17, 2011. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.