La Esmeralda

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMarch 17, 2026 →
• address1005 N Pulaski Rd, Chicago 60651
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is La Esmeralda clean?

La Esmeralda is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on March 17, 2026. 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 Esmeralda?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on March 17, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting
• 🧊food not cooled down right
  Proper Date Marking And Disposition
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used
• ⚠️Sewage & Waste Water Properly Disposed
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training

When was La Esmeralda last inspected?

La Esmeralda has 3 inspections on record going back to June 10, 2021.

La Esmeralda vs Humboldt Park

Humboldt Park runs 77% clean across 316 tracked restaurants — 239 clean, 56 mid, 16 cooked.

Against the 316 spots Cooked tracks in Humboldt Park, this one comes out cleaner than 9% of them.

Other spots in Humboldt Park

• ✓ Nadia Food Mart
  clean · June 17, 2021
• ✕ The Egg Roll Lady
  cooked · February 15, 2023
• ✓ Birrieria Y Taqueria Hernandez
  cooked · December 8, 2023
• ✓! Restaurant & Pizza Bellas
  cooked · March 22, 2024
• ✓! Drake Mart
  cooked · October 1, 2021
• ✓! Dub J's
  mid · July 28, 2021

See every restaurant inspection in Humboldt 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.

Read the Chicago ratings guide →

Inspection findings and available history come from the authority’s published records. Cooked checks daily; publication can lag behind an inspection. Read the date on each result and check the official source for newer information.

Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated March 17, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

check your own block 📸

Cooked covers 10 cities on official inspection data — see who's clean, mid, or cooked near you.