La Bodega Food Market

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedNovember 20, 2023
• address5900 W Montrose Ave, Chicago 60634
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is La Bodega Food Market clean?

La Bodega Food Market is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on November 20, 2023. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at La Bodega Food Market?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on November 20, 2023, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • NO PERSON ON SITE WITH AN ORIGINAL CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION CERTIFICATE POSTED. INSTRUCTED TO HAVE A PERSON WITH AN ORIGINAL CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION CERTIFICATE POSTED ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. 7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED TCS FOODS AT IMPROPER COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURE INSIDE OF DELI COOLER. DELI MEAT AND CHEESE WERE FOUND BETWEEN 46-48F. TCS FOODS MUST BE HELD AT 41F OR BELOW. FOOD DISCARDED VOLUNTARILY. FOOD WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 40 LBS AT A COST OF $300. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Proper Cooling Methods Used; Adequate Equipment For Temperature Control • OBSERVED IMPROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE INSIDE OF DELI COOLER AT 49F. PROPER AMBIENT TEMPERATURE MUST BE AT 41F OR BELOW. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED NO LABELS ON PACKAGED SALSA AND GUACAMOLE FOR CUSTOMER SELF SERVICE. MUST PROVIDE LABEL WITH BUSINESS NAME, ADDRESS, NAME OF FOOD, INGREDIENTS AND NET QUANTITY.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED 3 DEAD HOUSE FLIES INSIDE OF DELI COOLER. MUST CLEAN, SANITIZE AND REMOVE. • OBSERVED FLY STRIP HANGING OVER MEAT PREP AREA. MUST REMOVE FLY STRIPS FROM PREP AREAS.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED PEELING PAINT ABOVE 3-COMPARTMENT SINK. OBSERVED WATER STAINED CEILING TILES IN TOILET ROOM. MUST REPAIR.

When was La Bodega Food Market last inspected?

La Bodega Food Market has 5 inspections on record going back to September 24, 2019.

La Bodega Food Market vs Portage Park

Portage Park runs 65% clean across 715 tracked restaurants — 462 clean, 142 mid, 107 cooked.

Against the 715 spots Cooked tracks in Portage Park, this one comes out cleaner than 22% of them.

Other spots in Portage Park

• ✓! Fannie's Cafe
  mid · August 25, 2020
• ✓ El Sabor La Michoacanita
  clean · May 4, 2021
• ✓ Atole Catering
  clean · April 16, 2025
• ✓ Atole Catering
  clean · November 21, 2019
• ✓ Retro Fitness Center
  clean · November 28, 2023
• ✓ Mycha
  clean · February 20, 2020

See every restaurant inspection in Portage Park →

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 20, 2023. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.