La Finca Mexican Cuisine

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedFebruary 7, 2012
• address3361 N Elston Ave, Chicago 60618

Is La Finca Mexican Cuisine clean?

La Finca Mexican Cuisine is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 7, 2012. 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 Finca Mexican Cuisine?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 7, 2012, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ❓food from a questionable sourcecritical
  Adequate Number, Convenient, Accessible, Designed, And Maintained • Adequate and convenient toilet facilities shall be provided. They should be properly designed, maintained, and accessible to employees at all times. EXPOSED HAND SINK IN KITCHEN/PREP AREA NOT ACCESSIBLE FOR PROPER HAND WASHING. OBSERVED FIVE SOILED CLEANING TOWELS, THREE SMALL MULTI-USE CONTAINERS AND SEVERAL SPOONS INSIDE THE SINK. INSTRUCTED SINK MUST BE ACCESSIBLE FOR PROPER HAND WASHING AT ALL TIMES. ITEMS REMOVED. CRITICAL CITATION ISSUED, 7-38-030.
• ⚠️Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers. PREP FOODS AND DRIED FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS NOT LABELED, MUST LABEL AND MAINTAIN.
  Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers. PREP FOODS AND DRIED FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS NOT LABELED, MUST LABEL AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use.
  Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. MUST REPLACE BROKEN GASKETS ON FOUR DOORS REACH IN COOLER DOORS.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. MUST REPLACE BROKEN GASKETS ON FOUR DOORS REACH IN COOLER DOORS.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • All utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each usage. THE FOLLOWING NOT CLEAN, MUST CLEAN/SANITIZE; COOLERS, FREEZERS, COOKING EQUIPMENT, BOTTOM PANELS OF PREP TABLES, STORAGE CABINETS AT BAR AREA AND COFFEE STATION AT FRONT AREA, AND CABINETS AT SAME AREAS.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. MUST REPLACE BROKEN FLOOR TILES THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN AND CLEAN FLOORS, UNDER, BEHIND EQUIPMENT AT CORNERS AND ALONG WALLS IN THE KITCHEN, STORAGE CLOSET, BAR AREA AND BASEMENT.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. MUST REPLACE BROKEN FLOOR TILES THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN AND CLEAN FLOORS, UNDER, BEHIND EQUIPMENT AT CORNERS AND ALONG WALLS IN THE KITCHEN, STORAGE CLOSET, BAR AREA AND BASEMENT.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. MUST SEAL OPENINGS ON WALLS THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY, AND REPLACE DAMAGED CEILING PANELS IN WASHROOMS AND BAR AREA.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. MUST SEAL OPENINGS ON WALLS THRU-OUT THE KITCHEN TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY, AND REPLACE DAMAGED CEILING PANELS IN WASHROOMS AND BAR AREA.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • EXCESSIVE CLUTTER THRU-OUT BAR AREA/ROOM, CLOSET AND BASEMENT, MUST REMOVE UNNECESSARY ARTICLES, CLEAN AND ORGANIZE TO PREVENT PEST HARBORAGE. ARTICLES MUST BE STORED OFF FLOORS, AWAY FROM WALLS.
• ⚠️Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • CLEANING TOWELS MUST BE PROPERLY STORED.
  Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • CLEANING TOWELS MUST BE PROPERLY STORED.

When was La Finca Mexican Cuisine last inspected?

La Finca Mexican Cuisine has 4 inspections on record going back to May 17, 2010.

La Finca Mexican Cuisine vs Avondale

Avondale runs 64% clean across 679 tracked restaurants — 432 clean, 111 mid, 133 cooked.

Against the 679 spots Cooked tracks in Avondale, this one comes out cleaner than 25% of them.

Other spots in Avondale

• ✓ Brothers Restaurant
  clean · August 24, 2020
• ✓ Dunkin Donuts
  clean · October 22, 2024
• ? Elston Mart
  not rated · September 29, 2020
• ✓ Metropolitan Brewing
  clean · October 26, 2020
• ✓ Revolution Beer
  clean · January 20, 2021
• ✓ Eathai
  clean · November 21, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in Avondale →

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 February 7, 2012. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.