Markos Tacos & Cafe

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedApril 13, 2011
• address3009 W Cermak Rd, Chicago 60623

Is Markos Tacos & Cafe clean?

Markos Tacos & Cafe is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 13, 2011. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Markos Tacos & Cafe?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 13, 2011, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  * Certified Food Manager On Site When Potentially Hazardous Foods Are Prepared And Served • A certified food service manager must be present in all establishments at which potentially hazardous food is prepared or served.OBSERVED NO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON DUTY WHILE FOOD IS BEING PREPARED,HANDLED & SERVED AT THIS TIME.MUST BE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES.
• ⚠️Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • Inspector Comments: All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers.MUST LABEL & DATE COOKED FOODS IN COOLER.
  Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • Inspector Comments: All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers.MUST LABEL & DATE COOKED FOODS IN COOLER.
• ⚠️Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Inspector Comments: Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use.MUST STORE PLASTIC WEAR PROPERLY.
  Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Inspector Comments: Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use.MUST STORE PLASTIC WEAR PROPERLY.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • Inspector Comments: All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair.MUST REPLACE ATTACHED WORN CUTTING BOARD AT STEAM TABLE.MUST REMOVE RUST FROM LOWER SHELF OF STEAM TABLE.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • Inspector Comments: All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair.MUST REPLACE ATTACHED WORN CUTTING BOARD AT STEAM TABLE.MUST REMOVE RUST FROM LOWER SHELF OF STEAM TABLE.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • Inspector Comments: All food and non-food contact surfaces of equipment and all food storage utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized daily.MUST CLEAN FOOD DEBRI FROM GRILL TABLE,DEEP FRYER,STOVE,HOOD,FILTERS,INTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE,MICROWAVE,USED & UNUSED EQUIPMENT,ALL SHELVING UNITS.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • Inspector Comments: The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair.MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE DAMAGED& MISSING FLOOR TILES,FLOOR VENT THROUGHOUT & GROUT THE SAME.MUST CLEAN FLOOR ALONG WALL BASES THROUGHOUT.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • Inspector Comments: The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair.MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE DAMAGED& MISSING FLOOR TILES,FLOOR VENT THROUGHOUT & GROUT THE SAME.MUST CLEAN FLOOR ALONG WALL BASES THROUGHOUT.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • Inspector Comments: The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned.MUST CLEAN WALLS THROUGHOUT.MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE STAINED & MISSING CEILING TILES,LOOSE WALL BASES THROUGHOUT,WORN DOOR SWEEP ON FRONT DOOR.MUST PROVIDE DOOR SWEEP ON INTERIOR DOOR LEADING TO BASEMENT.MUST SEAL OPENINGS AROUND PIPES,HOLES IN WALLS WHERE NEEDED.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • Inspector Comments: The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned.MUST CLEAN WALLS THROUGHOUT.MUST REPAIR OR REPLACE STAINED & MISSING CEILING TILES,LOOSE WALL BASES THROUGHOUT,WORN DOOR SWEEP ON FRONT DOOR.MUST PROVIDE DOOR SWEEP ON INTERIOR DOOR LEADING TO BASEMENT.MUST SEAL OPENINGS AROUND PIPES,HOLES IN WALLS WHERE NEEDED.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Lighting: Required Minimum Foot-Candles Of Light Provided, Fixtures Shielded • Inspector Comments: All rooms in which food or drink is prepared, or in which utensils are washed, shall be lighted so that a minimum of 50-foot candles of light is available on all work surfaces.MUST REPLACE BURNT OUT LIGHT BULBS.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Toilet Room Doors Self Closing: Dressing Rooms With Lockers Provided: Complete Separation From Living/Sleeping Quarters • Inspector Comments: Toilet rooms shall be completely enclosed and shall be vented to the outside air or mechanically ventilated.MUST REPLACE MISSING SELF CLOSING DEVICE ON TOILET ROOM DOOR.
• ⚠️Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • Inspector Comments: All food establishments that display, prepare, or store potentially hazardous foods shall have calibrated metal stem thermometers, provided and conspicuous, for refrigerated and hot food units.ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS.
  Refrigeration And Metal Stem Thermometers Provided And Conspicuous • Inspector Comments: All food establishments that display, prepare, or store potentially hazardous foods shall have calibrated metal stem thermometers, provided and conspicuous, for refrigerated and hot food units.ALL COLD HOLDING UNITS.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • Inspector Comments: All parts of the food establishment and all parts of the property used in connection with the operation of the establishment shall be kept neat and clean and should not produce any offensive odors.CLUTTER ON LOWER SHELVES OF PREP TABLES & THROUGHOUT.
• ⚠️Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • Between uses and during storage ice dispensing utensils and ice receptacles shall be stored in a way that protects them from contamination.
  Food (Ice) Dispensing Utensils, Wash Cloths Properly Stored • Between uses and during storage ice dispensing utensils and ice receptacles shall be stored in a way that protects them from contamination.

When was Markos Tacos & Cafe last inspected?

Markos Tacos & Cafe has 5 inspections on record going back to February 9, 2010.

Markos Tacos & Cafe vs North Lawndale

North Lawndale runs 60% clean across 620 tracked restaurants — 370 clean, 83 mid, 163 cooked.

Against the 620 spots Cooked tracks in North Lawndale, this one comes out cleaner than 36% of them.

Other spots in North Lawndale

• ✓ Xtra Health
  clean · June 11, 2013
• ✓ El Encanto Products, Inc
  clean · March 26, 2010
• ✓ El Bodeguero
  clean · July 13, 2010
• ✓ Fish & Chicken On Roosevelt
  clean · November 13, 2012
• ✓ El Mezquite Grill
  clean · February 20, 2026
• ✓ Sweet Tooth And More
  clean · July 9, 2010

See every restaurant inspection in North Lawndale →

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 April 13, 2011. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.