Lito's Empanadas

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedFebruary 11, 2026 →
• address1437 W Taylor St, Chicago 60607

Is Lito's Empanadas clean?

Lito's Empanadas is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 11, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Lito's Empanadas?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 11, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used

When was Lito's Empanadas last inspected?

Lito's Empanadas has 21 inspections on record going back to May 8, 2014. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Lito's Empanadas vs Near West Side

Near West Side runs 80% clean across 1,294 tracked restaurants — 1,031 clean, 233 mid, 18 cooked.

Against the 1,294 spots Cooked tracks in Near West Side, this one comes out cleaner than 22% of them.

Other spots in Near West Side

• ✓ Cemitas Puebla
  cooked · June 14, 2019
• ✓ Bar Takito
  cooked · September 3, 2024
• ✓ Bar Takito
  clean · July 24, 2014
• ✓! Au Bon Pain
  cooked · September 29, 2015
• ✓ Potbelly Sandwich Shop
  clean · March 10, 2026
• ✓ Lou Malnati's
  clean · February 10, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Near 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.

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 February 11, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.

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