Lito's Taco And Empanada House

• resultPass
• critical violations1
• last inspectedDecember 2, 2024
• address2460 N Clark St, Chicago 60614

Is Lito's Taco And Empanada House clean?

Lito's Taco And Empanada House is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on December 2, 2024. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Lito's Taco And Empanada House?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on December 2, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • NOTED NO HANDWASH SIGNAGE IN WOMENS WASHROOM USED FOR GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • NOTED RUST AND BLACK SUBTANCE ON TOP INTERIOR OF SODA MACHINE IN LOBBY. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ICE, DEEP CLEAN AND SANITIZE ALL SURFACES AND MAINTAIN.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • NOTED BULK SEASONING IN FRONT PREP AREA IN UNLABLED CONTAINERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE LABELS OF COMMON NAMES ON ITEMS REMOVED FROM ITS ORIGINAL CONTAINER.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • NOTED FOOD STORAGE COOLERS AND SINGLE USE CONTAINERS,NAPKINS,UTENSILS STORED ON RACKS IN BASEMENT BELOW WASTE PIPES. INSTRUCTED TO REARRANGE STORAGE COOLERS AND SINGLE USE STORAGE RACKS - REMOVING THEM FROM DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH WASTE PIPES OR ENCASE PIPES.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • NOTED FOOD STORAGE COOLERS AND SINGLE USE CONTAINERS,NAPKINS,UTENSILS STORED ON RACKS IN BASEMENT BELOW WASTE PIPES. INSTRUCTED TO REARRANGE STORAGE COOLERS AND SINGLE USE STORAGE RACKS - REMOVING THEM FROM DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH WASTE PIPES OR ENCASE PIPES.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • NOTED DRAIN HOSE FROM WALK-IN COOLER AND DRAIN PIPE FROM 1 COMPARTMENT SINK IN BASEMENT INSERTED DIRECTLY IN FLOOR DRAIN BELOW FLOOD LINE, MUST CREATE AIR GAP.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • NOTED FLOORS IN WALK IN COOLER AND UNDERNEATH BASEMENT 1-COMPARTMENT SINK IN NEED OF REPAIR. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND RESTORE TO A SMOOTH AND EASY TO CLEAN SURFACE. ALSO NOTED HOLES IN NORTH BASEMENT WALLS, NORTH EAST CEILING, GAPS BETWEEN BASEMENT CEILING WALL AND WASTE PIPE, ON NORTH WALL IN BOILER ROOM AND CEILING. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL, MAINTAINING A SMOOTH AND EASY TO CLEAN SURFACE
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • NOTED NO PROOF OF ALLERGEN TRAINING FOR ALL CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGERS. INSTRUCTED ANY PERSONS WITH THE CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SANITATION CERTIFICATE TO COMPLY WITH COMPLETION OF TRAINING. MUST PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION.

When was Lito's Taco And Empanada House last inspected?

Lito's Taco And Empanada House has 2 inspections on record going back to December 2, 2024.

Lito's Taco And Empanada House vs Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park runs 67% clean across 1,649 tracked restaurants — 1,089 clean, 360 mid, 187 cooked.

Against the 1,649 spots Cooked tracks in Lincoln Park, this one comes out cleaner than 33% of them.

Other spots in Lincoln Park

• ✓ Cocoa + Co
  clean · February 17, 2026
• ✓! Raising Cane's
  mid · January 23, 2025
• ✓ Panera Bread
  clean · June 9, 2025
• ✓ Taco Bell
  clean · March 25, 2026
• ✓ Dunkin Donuts
  clean · December 12, 2024
• ✓! Wow Pizzeria
  mid · February 18, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Lincoln Park →

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 December 2, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.