Mr. Taco Mex, Inc.

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedJanuary 12, 2024
• address10656 S Torrence Ave, Chicago 60617

Is Mr. Taco Mex, Inc. clean?

Mr. Taco Mex, Inc. is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on January 12, 2024. 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 Mr. Taco Mex, Inc.?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 12, 2024, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HAND WASHING SIGN AT REAR HAND WASHING SINK. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE HAND WASHING SIGNS AT ALL HAND WASHING SINKS USED BY EMPLOYEES.
• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • OBSERVED LOW TEMPERATURE DISH MACHINE NOT SANITIZING FOOD EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS, CHEMICAL PPM 0 INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN FINAL RINSE AT 100 PPM. DISH MACHINE IS TAGGED HELD FOR INSPECTION AND MUST NOT BE USED UNTIL REINSPECTED BY CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHL PRIORITY 7-38-025 CITATION ISSUED
• ⚠️Approved Thawing Methods Used • OBSERVED BEEF IMPOPERLY THAWING IN PREP SINK. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO THAW FOOD UNDER REFRIGERATION, COLD RUNNING WATER OR PART OF COOKING PROCESS.
  Approved Thawing Methods Used • OBSERVED BEEF IMPOPERLY THAWING IN PREP SINK. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO THAW FOOD UNDER REFRIGERATION, COLD RUNNING WATER OR PART OF COOKING PROCESS.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED BULK FOOD CONTAINERS NOT LABELED IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO LABEL ALL BULK CONTAINERS WITH COMMON NAME OF FOOD.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED BULK SUGAR CONTAINER NOT COVERED IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO COVER ALL FOOD CONTAINERS TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED BULK SUGAR CONTAINER NOT COVERED IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO COVER ALL FOOD CONTAINERS TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED SOILED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON PREP TABLES. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN SANITIZING SOLUTION BETWEEN USES.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES NOT INVERTED IN PREP ARA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO INVERT ALL SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES NOT INVERTED IN PREP ARA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO INVERT ALL SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED GREASE BUILDUP AND FOOD DEBRIS ON INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT, PREP TABLES, SHELVING UNITS, COOLERS, AND FREEZERS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED DAMAGED AND MISSING BASEBOARDS ALONG WALLS IN PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • OBSERVED NO ALLERGEN TRAINING FOR CERTIFIED MANAGER ON DUTY. ALL CERTIFIED MANAGERS MUST PROVIDE ALLERGEN TRAINING.

When was Mr. Taco Mex, Inc. last inspected?

Mr. Taco Mex, Inc. has 7 inspections on record going back to November 4, 2021.

Mr. Taco Mex, Inc. vs South Deering

South Deering runs 49% clean across 41 tracked restaurants — 20 clean, 12 mid, 9 cooked.

Against the 41 spots Cooked tracks in South Deering, this one comes out cleaner than 37% of them.

Other spots in South Deering

• ✓ Gusi's Pizza
  clean · October 2, 2023
• ✓ Don Memo Mexican Restaurant
  clean · September 24, 2025
• ✓! Corner Store
  mid · June 15, 2023
• ✓ Gusi's Pizza
  clean · October 2, 2023
• ✓! Gusis Restaurant
  mid · March 5, 2025
• ✓ Mr Taco Mex
  clean · March 25, 2025

See every restaurant inspection in South Deering →

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 January 12, 2024. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.