Pepe's Mexican Restaurant

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJune 25, 2026
• address131 E 79Th St, Chicago 60619

Is Pepe's Mexican Restaurant clean?

Pepe's Mexican Restaurant is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on June 25, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Pepe's Mexican Restaurant?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on June 25, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🧽surfaces not properly sanitized
  Food-Contact Surfaces: Cleaned & Sanitized • NOTED TOP INTERIOR OF ICE MACHINE NOT CLEAN. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ICE, CLEAN AND SANITIZE ALL SURFACES AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧊food not cooled down right
  Proper Date Marking And Disposition • OBSERVED READY-TO-EAT, TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY (TCS) FOODS (COOKED TAMALES, RICE, GROUND BEEF AND CORN) NOT DATE MARKED TO INDICATE THE PRODUCT'S NAME AND DATE IN WHICH THE FOOD MUST BE SOLD, DISCARDED OR CONSUMED WITHIN 7 DAYS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE PROPER LABELS FOR DATE MARKING AND DISCARD DATE FOR REFRIGERATED, READY-TO-EAT, TCS FOODS HELD OVER 24HRS PLACED IN ALL COLD-HOLDING UNITS. PERSON IN CHARGE DISCARDED AND DENATURED APPROX. 50 LBS VALUED AT $100 PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OUND THE DOOR OF THE ICE MACHINE IN THE REAR DISH WASHING AREA IN POOR REPAIR (WITH GAPS/OPENING). INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE/REPAIR DOOR AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • FOUND THE INTERIOR OF THE FRYERS WITH GREASE AND DIRT BUILD UP. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN FRYERS.
• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • NOTED LEAK COMING FROM EAST HOTWATER HANDLE OF KITCHEN 3 COMPARTMENT SINK.INSTRUCTED TO Repair
• ⚠️Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • NOTED NO SELF-CLOSING DEVICE ON CUSTOMER WASHROOM DOOR. INSTRCUTED TO INSTALL.
  Toilet Facilities: Properly Constructed, Supplied, & Cleaned • NOTED NO SELF-CLOSING DEVICE ON CUSTOMER WASHROOM DOOR. INSTRCUTED TO INSTALL.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • NOTED HEAVY DUST BUILDUP ON BATHROOM VENTILATION SYSTEMS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • FOUND THE LIGHTING INSIDE THE WALK IN COOLER NOT BRIGHT ENOUGHT TO SEE EFFECTIVELY INSIDE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING PER CITY CODE FOR PROPER CLEANING AND SAFETY PURPOSES. MAINTAIN SAME
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • NOTED HEAVY DUST BUILDUP ON BATHROOM VENTILATION SYSTEMS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN. • FOUND THE LIGHTING INSIDE THE WALK IN COOLER NOT BRIGHT ENOUGHT TO SEE EFFECTIVELY INSIDE. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING PER CITY CODE FOR PROPER CLEANING AND SAFETY PURPOSES. MAINTAIN SAME

When was Pepe's Mexican Restaurant last inspected?

Pepe's Mexican Restaurant has 27 inspections on record going back to July 29, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Pepe's Mexican Restaurant vs Chatham

Chatham runs 62% clean across 443 tracked restaurants — 275 clean, 85 mid, 81 cooked.

Against the 443 spots Cooked tracks in Chatham, this one comes out cleaner than 34% of them.

Other spots in Chatham

• ✓ Just Jerk Cafe
  clean · June 12, 2026
• ✓ Golden Food Mart
  clean · December 19, 2013
• ✓ Best Stop Shop
  clean · January 29, 2014
• ✕ One Stop Food Market
  cooked · August 25, 2017
• ✓ Krispy's Seafood & Chicken
  clean · January 23, 2014
• ✕ Studio Movie Grill
  cooked · January 8, 2015

See every restaurant inspection in Chatham →

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 June 25, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.