Cooked?
Esparza's Tacos
- resultPass
- critical violations0
- last inspectedNovember 14, 2025
- address6610 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago 60629
Is Esparza's Tacos clean?
Esparza's Tacos is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on November 14, 2025. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.
What did inspectors find at Esparza's Tacos?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on November 14, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Approved Thawing Methods Used • OBSERVED FOOD ITEM THAWING IMPROPERLY SITTING IN STAGNANT WATER IN FOOD CONTAINER IN 3RD COMPARTMENT OF 3 COMPARTMENT SINK IN DISH WASH AREA. INSTRUCTED TO THAW PROPERLY.Approved Thawing Methods Used • OBSERVED FOOD ITEM THAWING IMPROPERLY SITTING IN STAGNANT WATER IN FOOD CONTAINER IN 3RD COMPARTMENT OF 3 COMPARTMENT SINK IN DISH WASH AREA. INSTRUCTED TO THAW PROPERLY.
- ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN WALK-IN COOLER, COLD HOLD UNITS/2 DR REFRIGERATORS AND PREP AREA COOLERS UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS STORED IN WALK-IN COOLER, COLD HOLD UNITS/2 DR REFRIGERATORS AND PREP AREA COOLERS UNCOVERED. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD GRADE LIDS AND/OR COVERS TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
- ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS NOT WEARING BEARD RESTRAINTS. INSTRUCTED TO WEAR WHEN PREPARING FOOD.Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED FOOD HANDLERS NOT WEARING BEARD RESTRAINTS. INSTRUCTED TO WEAR WHEN PREPARING FOOD.
- ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED REAR HAND WASH SINK WITHOUT A WASTE RECEPTACLE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED REAR HAND WASH SINK WITHOUT A WASTE RECEPTACLE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
- ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO PROOF OF TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE CERTIFICATE AND POST.All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO PROOF OF TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE CERTIFICATE AND POST.
When was Esparza's Tacos last inspected?
Esparza's Tacos has 6 inspections on record going back to June 21, 2023.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| November 14, 2025 | Pass | |
| January 3, 2025 | Pass | |
| March 7, 2024 | Pass | |
| August 23, 2023 | Pass | |
| August 18, 2023 | — | |
| June 21, 2023 | — |
Esparza's Tacos vs West Lawn
West Lawn runs 70% clean across 359 tracked restaurants — 249 clean, 60 mid, 47 cooked.
Against the 359 spots Cooked tracks in West Lawn, this one comes out cleaner than 33% of them.
Other spots in West Lawn
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 November 14, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.