La Palapa

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJuly 29, 2021
• address3350 N Harlem Ave, Chicago 60634

Is La Palapa clean?

La Palapa is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 29, 2021. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at La Palapa?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 29, 2021, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • 3-307.11--OBSERVED NO SPLASHGUARD AT HANDWASHING SINK AT REAR DISHWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A WASHABLE SPLASHGUARD AT LEFT SIDE NEXT TO POT/PAN STORAGE SHELF.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • 3-307.11--OBSERVED NO SPLASHGUARD AT HANDWASHING SINK AT REAR DISHWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A WASHABLE SPLASHGUARD AT LEFT SIDE NEXT TO POT/PAN STORAGE SHELF.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • 4-501.11--OBSERVED A TORN DOOR GASKET INSIDE OF THE WALK-IN-COOLER.INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT TO REPLACE THE TORN DOOR GASKET.
• ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • 4-302.13--OBSERVED NO IRREVERSIBLE REGISTERING TEMPERATURE INDICATORS OR DEVICE TO MEASURE THE UTENSIL SURFACE TEMPERATURE INSIDE OF THE HIGH TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005,NO CITATION ISSUED.
  Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • 4-302.13--OBSERVED NO IRREVERSIBLE REGISTERING TEMPERATURE INDICATORS OR DEVICE TO MEASURE THE UTENSIL SURFACE TEMPERATURE INSIDE OF THE HIGH TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE. INSTRUCTED MANAGEMENT TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-005,NO CITATION ISSUED.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • 6-304.11--OBSERVED MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN WASHROOMS NOT WORKING.INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE VENTILATION IN WASHROOMS.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • 6-304.11--OBSERVED MECHANICAL VENTILATION IN WASHROOMS NOT WORKING.INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN ADEQUATE VENTILATION IN WASHROOMS.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • 2-102.13--FOOD HANDLER WITH INCOMPLETE PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE CERTIFICATE FOR EACH EMPLOYEE.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • 2-102.13--FOOD HANDLER WITH INCOMPLETE PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE CERTIFICATE FOR EACH EMPLOYEE.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • 2-102.13--ALLERGEN TRAINING IS REQUIRED FOR ALL EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE A CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION CERTIFICATE. INSTRUCTED TO COMPLETE TRAINING AND KEEP CERTIFICATE ON SITE.

When was La Palapa last inspected?

La Palapa has 7 inspections on record going back to March 6, 2018.

La Palapa vs Dunning

Dunning runs 64% clean across 296 tracked restaurants — 189 clean, 63 mid, 44 cooked.

Against the 296 spots Cooked tracks in Dunning, this one comes out cleaner than 29% of them.

Other spots in Dunning

• ✓ La Palapa
  clean · April 6, 2018
• ✓ Ricks Diner
  clean · May 3, 2018
• ✓ Mr Beef On Harlem
  clean · January 21, 2026
• ✓! Mr Beef On Harlem
  mid · August 28, 2018
• ✓ Jibaritos On Harlem
  clean · September 25, 2023
• ✓! Meson Del Taco Express
  mid · February 4, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Dunning →

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 29, 2021. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.