Cooked?
La Calavera
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations2
- last inspectedSeptember 3, 2019
- address1438 W Chicago Ave, Chicago 60642
Is La Calavera clean?
La Calavera is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on September 3, 2019. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.
What did inspectors find at La Calavera?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 3, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcriticalManagement, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • OBSERVED NO EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY DURING INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO COMPLY. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010 NO CITATION ISSUED.
- 🤒staff working while sickcriticalProcedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • OBSERVED NO PROCEDURE AND CLEAN UP FOR RESPONDING TO VOMITING AND DIARRHEA EVENTS DURING INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO COMPLY. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-39-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧊food not cooled down rightProper Date Marking And Disposition • OBSERVED TCS FOODS (SALSA, GUACAMOLE, CHICKEN, STEAK, ETC.) WITHOUT PROPER DATE MARKING AND DISPOSITION. INSTRUCTED THAT ALL TCS FOODS PREPARED ON SITE AND HELD FOR OVER 24 HOURS MUST HAVE PROPER DATE MARKING AND DISPOSITION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
- 📄consumer advisory missingConsumer Advisory Provided For Raw/Undercooked Food • OBSERVED NO CONSUMER ADVISORY FOR RAW/UNDERCOOKED ANIMAL BASED FOOD ITEMS ON THE MENU. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-39-005 NO CITATION ISSUED.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED WOODEN STORAGE SHELVES IN THE REAR STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED THAT SURFACES SHOULD BE SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE.
- 🚻bathroom / plumbing issuesPlumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED NO BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICE ON THE MOP SINK IN THE REAR STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL FOR SERVICING.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED LARGE HOLE IN THE WALL UNDER THE ONE-COMP SINK ACROSS FROM THE WAREWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN.
When was La Calavera last inspected?
La Calavera has 3 inspections on record going back to June 19, 2018.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| September 7, 2023 | closed by the city | |
| September 3, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| June 19, 2018 | Pass |
La Calavera vs West Town
West Town runs 72% clean across 2,068 tracked restaurants — 1,475 clean, 422 mid, 160 cooked.
Against the 2,068 spots Cooked tracks in West Town, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.
Other spots in West Town
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 September 3, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.