Pupuseria Y Restaurant El Centro Americano

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedFebruary 9, 2026
• address4064 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60618

Is Pupuseria Y Restaurant El Centro Americano clean?

Pupuseria Y Restaurant El Centro Americano is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on February 9, 2026. 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 Pupuseria Y Restaurant El Centro Americano?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on February 9, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • OBSERVED NO WRITTEN EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON PREMISES. MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A SIGNED EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY FOR EACH EMPLOYEE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • MUST PROPERLY LABEL FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS WHEN FOOD IS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER.
• ⚠️Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE NOT WEARING HAIR RESTRAINT WHILE FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED. MUST WEAR HAIR RESTRAINT AT ALL TIMES FOOD IS REPARED AND SERVED.
  Personal Cleanliness • OBSERVED EMPLOYEE NOT WEARING HAIR RESTRAINT WHILE FOOD IS BEING PREPARED AND SERVED. MUST WEAR HAIR RESTRAINT AT ALL TIMES FOOD IS REPARED AND SERVED.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON TOP OF PREP TABLES AND HANDWASHING SINK. MUST PROPERLY STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN A SANITIZING SOLUTION WHEN NOT IN USE.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR IN REAR FOOD STORAGE AREA. MUST ELEVATE ITEMS OF THE FLOOR AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • OBSERVED ITEMS STORED ON FLOOR IN REAR FOOD STORAGE AREA. MUST ELEVATE ITEMS OF THE FLOOR AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED FROZEN FOOD ITEMS STORED IN PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS INSIDE CHEST FREEZER AND UPRIGHT FREEZER LOCATED IN REAR KITCHEN FOD PREPARATION AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE/USE PROPER FOOD GRADE BAGS AND CONTAINERS ONLY.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED WATER DAMAGED CEILING TILES ABOVE UTILITY MOP SINK IN REAR CLOSET. MUST REPAIR/REPLACE AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS IN THE UTILITY ROOM. MUST REMOVE CLUTTER AND UNNECESSARY ITEMS TO PREVENT RODENT HARBORAGE.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED EMPLOYEES PERSONAL ITEMS STORED BEING STORED IN REAR FOOD STORAGE AREA. MUST PROVIDE DESIGNATED EMPLOYEES STORAGE NOT IN FOOD STORAGE AREA OR PREP AREA.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED EMPLOYEES PERSONAL ITEMS STORED BEING STORED IN REAR FOOD STORAGE AREA. MUST PROVIDE DESIGNATED EMPLOYEES STORAGE NOT IN FOOD STORAGE AREA OR PREP AREA.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING OR CERTIFICATES ON SITE FOR ALL REQUIRED EMPLOYEES. MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT ALL TIMES.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • OBSERVED NO PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING OR CERTIFICATES ON SITE FOR ALL REQUIRED EMPLOYEES. MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING AND MAINTAIN CERTIFICATES ON SITE AT ALL TIMES.

When was Pupuseria Y Restaurant El Centro Americano last inspected?

Pupuseria Y Restaurant El Centro Americano has 2 inspections on record going back to April 16, 2025.

Pupuseria Y Restaurant El Centro Americano vs North Center

North Center runs 68% clean across 976 tracked restaurants — 657 clean, 151 mid, 163 cooked.

Against the 976 spots Cooked tracks in North Center, this one comes out cleaner than 23% of them.

Other spots in North Center

• ✓! Domino's
  mid · April 21, 2025
• ✓ Bloop Bloop
  clean · April 10, 2025
• ✓ Timber Lanes
  clean · April 11, 2025
• ✓ Mimi's On Lincoln
  clean · May 1, 2025
• ✓! Pastafi
  mid · October 8, 2025
• ✓! Crumbl Cookies
  mid · January 28, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in North Center →

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 February 9, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.