Nick's Palapita

• resultFail
• critical violations4
• last inspectedOctober 23, 2015
• address4263 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago 60641

Is Nick's Palapita clean?

Nick's Palapita is currently Fail from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on October 23, 2015. Inspectors wrote up 4 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Nick's Palapita?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 23, 2015, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  Sanitizing Rinse For Equipment And Utensils: Clean, Proper Temperature, Concentration, Exposure Time • NO CHEMICAL SANITIZER ON PREMISES TO SANITIZE EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS. MUST PROVIDE PROPER SANITIZER. CRITICAL VIOLATION 7-38-030.
• 🚿water/temperature at the sink offcritical
  Water Source: Safe, Hot & Cold Under City Pressure • NO HOT RUNNING WATER THROUGH-OUT PREMISES. WATER TEMPERATURE AT 3 COMPARTMENT SINK 65.9F. CRITICAL VIOLATION 7-38-030. MUST RESTORE HOT RUNNING WATER TO ALL SINKS.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Sewage And Waste Water Disposal, No Back Siphonage, Cross Connection And/Or Back Flow • STANDING WASTE WATER THROUGHOUT THE BASEMENT STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ALL STANDING WASTE WATER. CRITICAL VIOLATION 7-38-030.
• 🌡️food received at unsafe tempscritical
  Hand Washing Facilities: With Soap And Sanitary Hand Drying Devices, Convenient And Accessible To Food Prep Area • NO PAPER TOWELS LOCATED AT ANY WASHBOWLS THROUGHOUT ESTABLISHMENT, INCLUDING PREP AREA EXPOSED HAND SINKS AND EMPLOYEE/CUSTOMER WASHROOMS. CRITICAL VIOLATION 7-38-030.
• ☠️toxic items stored near food
  No Evidence Of Rodent Or Insect Outer Openings Protected/Rodent Proofed, A Written Log Shall Be Maintained Available To The Inspectors • NOTED WINDOW OPEN TO OUTSIDE WITH TORN SCREEN. APPROXIMATELY 20 FLIES INSIDE THE WALK-IN COOLER. NO PEST CONTROL LOG BOOK AVAILABLE DURING INSPECTION. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL ALL OUTER OPENINGS AND SCREEN ALL WINDOWS. HAVE A LICENSED PEST CONTROL COMPANY SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT AND ELIMINATE FLY ACTIVITY. MUST PROVIDE PEST CONTROL LOG BOOK AND ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION. SERIOUS VIOLATION 7-38-020.
• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  * Certified Food Manager On Site When Potentially Hazardous Foods Are Prepared And Served • NO CITY OF CHICAGO SANITATION CERTIFICATE POSTED ON THE PREMISES. SERIOUS VIOLATION 7-38-012.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • ALL COOKS LINE CUTTING BOARDS IN POOR REPAIR WITH DEEP, BLACKENED GROOVES. MUST REPLACE. MUST NOT USE CARDBOARD AS LINER FOR SHELVING.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • ALL COOKS LINE CUTTING BOARDS IN POOR REPAIR WITH DEEP, BLACKENED GROOVES. MUST REPLACE. MUST NOT USE CARDBOARD AS LINER FOR SHELVING.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF ALL COOLERS, COOKS LINE EQUIPMENT, PREP TABLES/SURFACES FOUND DIRTY WITH DIRT, DEBRIS AND GREASE. MUST CLEAN ALL. ALL SHELVING THROUGHOUT BOTH FOOD PREP AREAS FOUND DIRTY. MUST CLEAN.
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • FLOORS THROUGHOUT ENTIRE ESTABLISHMENT AND IN WALK-IN COOLER WITH DIRT, FOOD DEBRIS AND GREASE. MUST CLEAN.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • FLOORS THROUGHOUT ENTIRE ESTABLISHMENT AND IN WALK-IN COOLER WITH DIRT, FOOD DEBRIS AND GREASE. MUST CLEAN.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • ALL WALLS THROUGHOUT ESTABLISHMENT FOOD PREP AND ATTACHED PIPING DIRTY WITH FOOD SPLATTER AND GREASE. MUST CLEAN. PEELING PAINT ON TEH WALL AT THE 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. MUST REMOVE. WATER DAMAGED CEILING TILES THROUGHOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT. MUST REPLACE.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • ALL WALLS THROUGHOUT ESTABLISHMENT FOOD PREP AND ATTACHED PIPING DIRTY WITH FOOD SPLATTER AND GREASE. MUST CLEAN. PEELING PAINT ON TEH WALL AT THE 3 COMPARTMENT SINK. MUST REMOVE. WATER DAMAGED CEILING TILES THROUGHOUT THE ESTABLISHMENT. MUST REPLACE.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Ventilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • MEN'S WASHROOM VENTILATION NOT OPERATIONAL. MUST REPAIR. BOTH WASHROOMS FIXTURES FOUND DIRTY. MUST CLEAN.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Premises Maintained Free Of Litter, Unnecessary Articles, Cleaning Equipment Properly Stored • ALL STORED ITEMS MUST BE ELEVATED FROM THE FLOOR 6" OR ABOVE.
• ⚠️Food Handler Requirements Met • ALL FOOD HANDLERS MUST HAVE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES. MUST PROVIDE.
  Food Handler Requirements Met • ALL FOOD HANDLERS MUST HAVE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES. MUST PROVIDE.

When was Nick's Palapita last inspected?

Nick's Palapita has 4 inspections on record going back to July 24, 2015.

Nick's Palapita vs Portage Park

Portage Park runs 65% clean across 715 tracked restaurants — 462 clean, 142 mid, 107 cooked.

Against the 715 spots Cooked tracks in Portage Park, this one comes out cleaner than 12% of them.

Other spots in Portage Park

• ✓ Wilbur Wright College
  clean · June 20, 2017
• ✓ Beefbelly/Molly And Miles
  clean · August 11, 2017
• ✓ Beefbelly/Molly And Miles
  clean · November 5, 2015
• ✓ 7-Eleven
  clean · December 15, 2015
• ✓! Ideal Bakery
  mid · July 31, 2024
• ✕ Charlotte's Bar And Grill
  cooked · December 26, 2024

See every restaurant inspection in Portage 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 October 23, 2015. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.