Palenque

• resultPass
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJuly 20, 2026
• address2756 W 55Th St, Chicago 60632

Is Palenque clean?

Palenque is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on July 20, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Palenque?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 20, 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 • OBSERVED RUST ON SHELVING UNITS IN WALK IN COOLER AND SHELVING UNIT NEXT TO FILING CABINET IN REAR STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE RUST FROM ALL SHELVING UNITS IN WALK IN COOLER AND REAR DRY STORAGE AREA, INSTRUCTED NONFOOD CONTACT SURFACES OF EQUIPMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUCTED OF A CORROSION RESISTANT, NONABSORBENT AND SMOOTH MATERIAL. OBSERVED SODA CRATES STORED ON FLOOR IN WALK IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE SHELVING UNITS TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD AND NON FOOD ITEMS AT LEAST SIX INCHES OFF OF FLOOR FOR EASE OF CLEANABILITY.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • OBSERVED LEAKING DRAINPIPE UNDERNEATH LEFT COMPARTMENT OF THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR LEAKING DRAINPIPE OF THREE COMPARTMENT SINK AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED BLACK BUILDUP ON GROUND IN FRONT AND REAR OF OUTSIDE GREASE CONTAINER. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN GROUND SURROUNDING OUTSIDE GREASE CONTAINER AND MAINTAIN.
  Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED BLACK BUILDUP ON GROUND IN FRONT AND REAR OF OUTSIDE GREASE CONTAINER. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN GROUND SURROUNDING OUTSIDE GREASE CONTAINER AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED STAINED, MISSING OR DAMAGED CEILING TILES IN REAR PREP AREA ABOVE WALKWAY TO THE RIGHT OF WALK IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE ALL STAINED, MISSING OR DAMAGED CEILING TILES IN FACILITY AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED PEELING PAINT ON CEILING ABOVE WALKWAY TO RIGHT OF WALK IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ALL PEELING PAINT AND SMOOTHLY REPAINT CEILING IN SAID AREA FOR EASE OF CLEANABILITY. OBSERVED RUST ON CEILING VENT IN REAR PREP/DISHWASHING AREA NEAR THREE COMPARTMENT SINK. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE RUST AND SMOOTHLY REPAINT CEILING VENT IN SAID AREA FOR EASE OF CLEANABILITY.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED NON WORKING LIGHT IN HOOD. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE NON WORKING LIGHT IN HOOD AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED DIMLY LIT WASHROOM WITH UTILITY SINK. INSTRUCTED TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY IN WASHROOM WITH UTILITY SINK AND MAINTAIN.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED NON WORKING LIGHT IN HOOD. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE NON WORKING LIGHT IN HOOD AND MAINTAIN. OBSERVED DIMLY LIT WASHROOM WITH UTILITY SINK. INSTRUCTED TO INCREASE LIGHT INTENSITY IN WASHROOM WITH UTILITY SINK AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • AT TIME OF INSPECTION FACILITY PROVIDED NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES FOR ANY FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • AT TIME OF INSPECTION FACILITY PROVIDED NO FOOD HANDLER TRAINING CERTIFICATES FOR ANY FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS.

When was Palenque last inspected?

Palenque has 15 inspections on record going back to March 19, 2012. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Palenque vs Gage Park

Gage Park runs 71% clean across 393 tracked restaurants — 278 clean, 70 mid, 42 cooked.

Against the 393 spots Cooked tracks in Gage Park, this one comes out cleaner than 32% of them.

Other spots in Gage Park

• ✕ Dollar & Up Group, Inc.
  cooked · February 7, 2012
• ✓ Las 3 Islas De Nayarit
  clean · June 12, 2014
• ✓ Dollar Star & More 1 Inc.
  clean · June 12, 2020
• ✓ Shop Rite Food & Dollar, Inc.
  clean · March 26, 2012
• ✓ Papa Johns Pizza
  clean · February 28, 2014
• ✓ Estar Bien
  clean · April 12, 2012

See every restaurant inspection in Gage 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 July 20, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.