La Providencia Food Mart

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJune 13, 2025
• address1658 W 21St St, Chicago 60608
• cuisineGrocery Store

Is La Providencia Food Mart clean?

La Providencia Food Mart is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 13, 2025. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at La Providencia Food Mart?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 13, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  Proper Hot Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED IMPROPER HOT HOLDING TEMPERATURE OF TCS FOODS. FOUND A HALF PAN OF COOKED PORK IN THE SELF-SERVICE HOT HOLDING UNIT IN THE ORDERING AREA OF THE DELI/RESTAURANT. INSTRUCTED TO KEEP HOT HOLDING TEMPERATURES 135°F OR ABOVE. APPROXIMATELY 10 LBS AT $58 WORTH OF PRODUCT DISCHARGED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005, CITATION ISSUED
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED IMPROPER COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURES OF TCS FOODS. FOUND RAW PORK IN THE FRONT DISPLAY COLD HOLDING UNIT RANGING TEMPERATURES OF 56.0-58.0F. APPROXIMATELY 10LBS AT $73 WORTH OF PRODUCT DISCARDED. MUST HAVE COLD HOLDING FOODS AT 41.0F OR BELOW. PRIORITY 7-38-005, CITATION CONSOLIDATED WITH VIOLATION #21
• 🧪toxic chemicals mishandled
  Compliance With Variance/Specialized Process/Haccp • OBSERVED SPECIAL PROCESS OF DRYING HANGING CHORIZO SAUSAGE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE WITH NO HACCP/VARIANCE ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO EMAIL CDPH WITH THE STEPS USED FOR THE SPECIAL PROCESS AND MUST RECEIVE APPROVAL TO PROCEED WITH THE SPECIAL PROCESS. MUST STOP SPECIAL PROCESS.
• ⚠️Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • OBSERVED FACILITY DRYING TCS FOODS WITH NO HACCP/VARIANCE ON SITE. FOUND CHORIZO SAUSAGES HANGING DRYING IN THE REAR PREP AREA. PER PERSON ON SITE, THE SAUSAGES ARE COOKED WITH VINGEAR AND SALT AND LEFT OUT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE TO DRY. INSTRUCTED MUST STOP SPECIAL PROCESS UNTIL AN APPROVED HACCP/VARIANCE IS ON SITE. APPROXIMATELY 20 LBS OF PRODUCT WORTH $100 WAS DISCARDED AT THIS TIME. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005, CITATION ISSUED
  Variance Obtained For Specialized Processing Methods • OBSERVED FACILITY DRYING TCS FOODS WITH NO HACCP/VARIANCE ON SITE. FOUND CHORIZO SAUSAGES HANGING DRYING IN THE REAR PREP AREA. PER PERSON ON SITE, THE SAUSAGES ARE COOKED WITH VINGEAR AND SALT AND LEFT OUT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE TO DRY. INSTRUCTED MUST STOP SPECIAL PROCESS UNTIL AN APPROVED HACCP/VARIANCE IS ON SITE. APPROXIMATELY 20 LBS OF PRODUCT WORTH $100 WAS DISCARDED AT THIS TIME. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-005, CITATION ISSUED
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • OBSERVED NO AMBIENT AIR THERMOMETER INSIDE THE SELF-SERVICE HOT HOLDING UNIT IN THE ORDERING AREA OF THE BUTCHER/FOOD PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED A STICK INSECT CONTROL TRAP FILLED WITH INSECTS STORED ABOVE ONIONS IN THE REAR STORAGE/STORAGE/BRAKE AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REFRAIN FROM STORING INSECT CONTROL DEVICES ABOVE FOOD ITEMS.
• ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO SINK STOPPERS ON SITE FOR WAREWASHING. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE THREE SINK STOPPERS AND MAINTAIN.
  Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED NO SINK STOPPERS ON SITE FOR WAREWASHING. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE THREE SINK STOPPERS AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED THE SIR STEAK MACHINE WITH MEAT RESIDUE. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED THE TOILET ROOM DOOR NOT SELF CLOSING IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SELF CLOSING DEVICE AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED NO RECEPTACLES WITH LIDS IN THE ALL GENDER TOILET ROOMS ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • OBSERVED THE TOILET ROOM DOOR NOT SELF CLOSING IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SELF CLOSING DEVICE AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED NO RECEPTACLES WITH LIDS IN THE ALL GENDER TOILET ROOMS ON SITE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED CARDBOARD BOXES BEING USED ON THE FLOOR NEAR THE COOKING EQUIPMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE AND PROVIDE NON-SLIP MATS IN MENTIONED AREA.

When was La Providencia Food Mart last inspected?

La Providencia Food Mart has 13 inspections on record going back to October 8, 2014. The 12 most recent are shown below.

La Providencia Food Mart vs Lower West Side

Lower West Side runs 68% clean across 1,153 tracked restaurants — 775 clean, 162 mid, 205 cooked.

Against the 1,153 spots Cooked tracks in Lower West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 28% of them.

Other spots in Lower West Side

• ? Junior's Sports Bar
  cooked · August 7, 2025
• ? Ayutla Corp
  cooked · July 22, 2013
• ? Mi Tiendita General Store
  cooked · December 15, 2010
• ✕ Las Trancas Limited
  cooked · May 4, 2010
• ✓ Taqueria Taco Bueno Inc.
  clean · November 21, 2025
• ✕ Mundial Restaurant
  cooked · July 6, 2012

See every restaurant inspection in Lower West Side →

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 June 13, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.