La Trailita

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJune 9, 2026
• address2639 S Damen Ave, Chicago 60608

Is La Trailita clean?

La Trailita is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 9, 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 Trailita?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 9, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HANDWASHING SOAP AT THE ONLY HANDWASHING SINK IN THE PREP/DISHWASHING AREA. INSTRUCTED HANDWASHING SINK MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH HANDWASHING SOAP AND MAINTAINED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-030(C), CITATION ISSUED
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • OBSERVED NO AMBIENT AIR THERMOMETER STORED INSIDE THE COLD HOLDING UNITS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED NO LABEL ON THE DRY INGREDIENT CONTAINER STORED ON THE LOWER SHELF NEAR THE COOKING EQUIPMENT. ISNTRUCTED TO LABEL AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS NOT COVERED, WHILE NOT BEING PREPARED. FOUND THE FOLLOWING NOT COVERED: A BASKET OF FRIES, BOWL OF MASA, AND THE TOP LID OF THE PREP COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO COVER ALL MENTIONED ITEMS AND MAINTAIN.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS NOT COVERED, WHILE NOT BEING PREPARED. FOUND THE FOLLOWING NOT COVERED: A BASKET OF FRIES, BOWL OF MASA, AND THE TOP LID OF THE PREP COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO COVER ALL MENTIONED ITEMS AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED TWO SINK STOPPERS NEEDED FOR THE WAREWASHING SINK. THE WASH AND RINSE COMPARTMENTS, DRAIN HOLES WERE PLUGGED WITH PLASTIC BAGS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SINK STOPPERS AND MAINTAIN.
  Warewashing Facilities: Installed, Maintained & Used; Test Strips • OBSERVED TWO SINK STOPPERS NEEDED FOR THE WAREWASHING SINK. THE WASH AND RINSE COMPARTMENTS, DRAIN HOLES WERE PLUGGED WITH PLASTIC BAGS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SINK STOPPERS AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED THE FLOORS SURROUNDING THE PREP COOLER, THE 1 COMPARTMENT SINK, AND THE ICE MACHINE IN NEED OF CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN MENTIONED FLOORS.

When was La Trailita last inspected?

La Trailita has 6 inspections on record going back to December 6, 2019.

La Trailita 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 23% of them.

Other spots in Lower West Side

• ✓ Bridgeport Bakery
  clean · February 27, 2020
• ✓! Urban Treez
  mid · September 22, 2020
• ✓ El Bueno Taco #2
  clean · September 11, 2024
• ✓ Fiesta Tamaleria El Barrio
  clean · November 25, 2025
• ✕ Chicago Helicopter Experience
  cooked · March 24, 2020
• ✕ Chicago Helicopter Experience
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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 9, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.