I Love Tamales

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJuly 11, 2014
• address3218 W Cermak Rd, Chicago 60623

Is I Love Tamales clean?

I Love Tamales is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 11, 2014. Inspectors wrote up 3 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at I Love Tamales?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 11, 2014, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  Facilities To Maintain Proper Temperature • PREP COOLER IN USE IN POOR REPAIR, UNABLE TO MAINTAIN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OF 54F. INSTD TO REPAIR SAME AND ABLE TO MAINTAIN PRODUCT TEMPERATURE OF 40F OR BELOW AT ALL TIMES. UNIT ALSO HAS EXCESSIVE DRAINAGE FROM CONDENSOR ACCUMULATED ON BOTTOM SHELF. UNIT TAGGED AND HELD FOR INSPECTION AT THIS TIME. INSTD TO USE OTHER REFRIGERATION ON SITE. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-005A CRITICAL.
• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Potentially Hazardous Food Meets Temperature Requirement During Storage, Preparation Display And Service • THE FOLLOWING POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 52.2F-64.4F IN PREP COOLER: 2 PACKAGES OF GROUND BEEF, 1 PACKAGE OF BEEF, 1 DOZEN EGGS, AND 2 LINKS OF CHORIZO. ALL PRODUCT VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENATURED AT THIS TIME. APPROX 15LBS $75 VALUE. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-005A CRITICAL.
• 🌡️food received at unsafe tempscritical
  Hand Washing Facilities: With Soap And Sanitary Hand Drying Devices, Convenient And Accessible To Food Prep Area • NO SOAP NOR SANITARY HAND DRYING DEVICES AT ANY EXPOSED HANDSINKS OR AT TOILET ROOM HANDSINKS. BASIN OF EXPOSED HANDSINK IN PREP AREA FILLED WITH UNCLEAN EQUIPMENT. INSTD TO PROVIDE SOAP AND SANITARY HAND DRYING DEVICES AT ALL TIMES AND KEEP BASIN CLEAR. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-030 CRITICAL.
• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  * Certified Food Manager On Site When Potentially Hazardous Foods Are Prepared And Served • NO CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED MANAGER ON DUTY WHILE HANDLING POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS (TAMALES, ETC). INSTD TO HAVE ON DUTY AT ALL TIMES. CITATION ISSUED 7-38-012 SERIOUS.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • INTERIOR OF ALL FREEZERS/COOLERS, STORAGE SHELVES, STEAM TABLE, AND SINKS NOT CLEAN, DEBRIS. CLEAN SAME AND MAINTAIN.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Lighting: Required Minimum Foot-Candles Of Light Provided, Fixtures Shielded • LIGHT OUT IN MENS TOILET ROOM. REPLACE SAME.
• ⚠️Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • PROVIDE METAL STEM THERMOMETER FOR FOOD HANDLERS.
  Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • PROVIDE METAL STEM THERMOMETER FOR FOOD HANDLERS.

When was I Love Tamales last inspected?

I Love Tamales has 3 inspections on record going back to October 28, 2013.

I Love Tamales vs North Lawndale

North Lawndale runs 60% clean across 620 tracked restaurants — 370 clean, 83 mid, 163 cooked.

Against the 620 spots Cooked tracks in North Lawndale, this one comes out cleaner than 26% of them.

Other spots in North Lawndale

• ✓ Dailow Food
  clean · September 16, 2013
• ✓ Bethlehem Food Mart
  clean · September 24, 2013
• ✓ Angels Discount Inc.
  clean · October 3, 2013
• ✓ 19Th St Food Mart
  clean · October 3, 2013
• ✓ Raymond's Tacos # 1
  clean · August 21, 2014
• ✓ 16Th Express Mart
  clean · October 17, 2013

See every restaurant inspection in North 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 July 11, 2014. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.