Restaurant El Ranchito

• resultPass
• critical violations1
• last inspectedMay 26, 2026
• address5959 W Grand Ave, Chicago 60639

Is Restaurant El Ranchito clean?

Restaurant El Ranchito is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 26, 2026. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads clean 😇.

What did inspectors find at Restaurant El Ranchito?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 26, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • 5-202.12 (B-D) OBSERVED HOLD IN HANDSINK BASIN IN MENS WASHROOM. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • 3-302.12 OBSERVED FOOD STORED IN CONTAINERS IN ALL THE COOLERS, WALK IN COOLER AND DRY STORAGE WITHOUT PROPER LABELING OF NAME. INSTRUCTED TO PERSON IN CHARGE TO PROVIDE A LABEL REFLECTING THE FOOD ITEM'S NAME WHEN FOOD HAS BEEN REMOVE FROM ITS ORIGINAL PACKAGING.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • 6-501.112 OBSERVED DEAD ROACHES AND INSECTS ONTHE FLOOR IN THE REAR WAREWASHING AREA , ADJACENT STORAGE AREA, AND IN BASEMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE DETAIL CLEAN, SANIIZE AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • 3-305.11 OBSERVED FOOD CONTAINERS STORED ON THE FLOOR IN THE WALK-IN COOLER, PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROPERLY STORE AND PROTECT FOOD ITEMS FROM CONTAMINATION WHILE STORED BY ELEVATING AT LEAST SIX INCHES FROM THE FLOOR ON RAISED SHELVING UNITS.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • 3-305.11 OBSERVED FOOD CONTAINERS STORED ON THE FLOOR IN THE WALK-IN COOLER, PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROPERLY STORE AND PROTECT FOOD ITEMS FROM CONTAMINATION WHILE STORED BY ELEVATING AT LEAST SIX INCHES FROM THE FLOOR ON RAISED SHELVING UNITS.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • 4-501.11 OBSERVED BROKEN LIDS ON DEEP FREEZERS IN BASEMENT. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • 4-602.13 OBSERVED GREASE, HEAVY FOOD SPILLS, AND DEBRIS BUILDUP ON COOKING EQUIPMENT, COLD-GOLDING UNITS, WALLS, SURROUNDING FLOORS AND SHELVING UNITS IN THE KITCHEN/PREP AREAS. INSTRUCTED TO DEGREASE, CLEAN AND SANITIZE.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • 6-501.11 OBSERVED EXPOSED FOAM-LIKE CAULK ON THE WALLS AND AROUND PIPES TRHOUGHOUT FACILITY. INSTRUCTED TO RESURFACE AREA TO ENSURE A SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE. • 6-501.12 OBSERVED GREASE BUILDUP, FOOD DEBRIS, AND DIRT ON FLOOR UNDER COOKING EQUIPMENT, ALONG WALLS AND IN ALL CORNERS IN PREP, DISH WASHING, STORAGE AND BASEMENT AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN FLOORS UNDER ALL EQUIPMENT, ALONG WALLS AND IN ALL CORNERS IN ALL AREAS. OBSERVED DUST BUILDUP ON STORAGE RACK, OPEN BOTTOM AREA OF EQUIPMENT AND CEILING AND WALL VENTS IN PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN ALL FANS, LIGHT SHIELDS AND CEILING/WALL VENTS.

When was Restaurant El Ranchito last inspected?

Restaurant El Ranchito has 35 inspections on record going back to January 8, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Restaurant El Ranchito vs Belmont Cragin

Belmont Cragin runs 60% clean across 787 tracked restaurants — 470 clean, 175 mid, 137 cooked.

Against the 787 spots Cooked tracks in Belmont Cragin, this one comes out cleaner than 40% of them.

Other spots in Belmont Cragin

• ✓ John's Market, Delikatesy
  clean · May 29, 2013
• ? A. L. Deli, Llc
  cooked · October 20, 2014
• ✓ 7-Eleven
  clean · February 13, 2024
• ✓ J. L. Lounge
  clean · March 23, 2017
• ? Aroura Food
  cooked · June 4, 2012
• ? China Wok
  cooked · February 16, 2011

See every restaurant inspection in Belmont Cragin →

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 May 26, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.