Spicy Mex

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations3
• last inspectedJanuary 22, 2019
• address3925 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago 60613

Is Spicy Mex clean?

Spicy Mex is currently listed as closed by Chicago Department of Public Health, as of its inspection on January 22, 2019. A closure means inspectors found conditions serious enough to stop service — it is not the same as a restaurant choosing to shut down, and the listing can change once the problems are fixed and re-inspected.

What did inspectors find at Spicy Mex?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on January 22, 2019, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚻bathroom / plumbing issues
  Plumbing Installed; Proper Backflow Devices • INSTRUCTED TO INSTALL A ONE COMPARTMENT PREP SINK AT THE FRONT PREP AREA.
• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Management, Food Employee And Conditional Employee; Knowledge, Responsibilities And Reporting • NO WRITTEN EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON SITE. MUST PROVIDE.PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🤒staff working while sickcritical
  Procedures For Responding To Vomiting And Diarrheal Events • NO WRITTEN CLEANING PROCEDURE OR REQUIRED EQUIPMENT FOR A VOMITING OR DIARRHEA EVENT. MUST PROVIDE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • NO SOAP AVAILABLE AT THE KITCHEN HAND WASHING SINK. MUST PROVIDE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C) CITATION ISSUED. • NO PAPER TOWELS AVAILABLE AT THE DISH WASHING AREA HAND WASHING SINK. MUST PROVIDE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(C) SEE THE ABOVE VIOLATION FOR CITATION.
• 🍽️food left unprotected
  Food Separated And Protected • OBSERVED RAW EGGS AND RAW CHORIZO STORED ON TOP SHELVING OF THE TALL REACH-IN COOLER DIRECTLY ABOVE PREPARED FOODS SUCH AS COOKED RICE, GUACAMOLE, PREPARED SAUCES AND TORTILLAS. FOODS REMOVED. INSTRUCTED TO PROPERLY STORE RAW AND PREPARED/READY TO EAT FOODS. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005 CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧊food not cooled down right
  Proper Date Marking And Disposition • OBSERVED PREPARED TCS FOODS NOT PROPERLY DATE LABELED. MUST PROPERLY DATE LABELED FOODS WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE NO LONGER THAN 7 DAYS ON ALL TCS FOODS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 📄consumer advisory missing
  Consumer Advisory Provided For Raw/Undercooked Food • NO CONSUMER ADVISORY POSTED OR AVAILABLE FOR EGG AND CHORIZO DISH WITH EGG MADE TO ORDER. MENU DOES NOT DISCLOSE AND INFORM CONSUMERS THE SPECIFIC MENU ITEMS THAT ARE RAW OR UNDER COOKED AND A POTENTIAL HAZARD OF CONSUMING SUCH FOOD. MUST DISCLOSE EGG DISH. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION. NO CITATION ISSUED.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Thermometers Provided & Accurate • INACCURATE INTERNAL THERMOMETER IN THE FRONT SALSA COOLER. MUST REPLACE.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • ALL BULK FOOD CONTAINERS MUST BE PROPERLY LABELED.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST INSTALL SPLASH GUARDS ON BOTH THE FRONT HAND WASHING SINK AND REAR KITCHEN SINK BETWEEN SINKS AND PREP SURFACES.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST INSTALL SPLASH GUARDS ON BOTH THE FRONT HAND WASHING SINK AND REAR KITCHEN SINK BETWEEN SINKS AND PREP SURFACES.
• ⚠️Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED ALUMINUM FOOD CONTAINERS STORED ON TOP OF CEILING DUCT PIPING. MUST PROPERLY STORE FOOD CONTAINERS IN A CLEAN STORAGE AREA.
  Utensils, Equipment & Linens: Properly Stored, Dried, & Handled • OBSERVED ALUMINUM FOOD CONTAINERS STORED ON TOP OF CEILING DUCT PIPING. MUST PROPERLY STORE FOOD CONTAINERS IN A CLEAN STORAGE AREA.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • FOOD ENCRUSTED TABLE TOP CAN OPENER. MUST CLEAN AFTER EACH USE.
• ⚠️Sewage & Waste Water Properly Disposed • OBSERVED BOTH HAND WASHING SINKS IN THE KITCHEN AND KITCHEN DISH WASHING AREA COMPLETELY CLOGGED, UNABLE TO DRAIN WASTE WATER AND WASTE WATER BACKING UP FROM DISH WASHING HAND SINK. STAFF UNABLE TO WASH HANDS. DURING INSPECTION MANAGER WAS ABLE TO UNCLOG ONE OF THE TWO SINKS. MUST HAVE BOTH HAND SINKS PROPERLY WORKING AT RE-INSPECTION.PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-030(C).CITATION ISSUED.
  Sewage & Waste Water Properly Disposed • OBSERVED BOTH HAND WASHING SINKS IN THE KITCHEN AND KITCHEN DISH WASHING AREA COMPLETELY CLOGGED, UNABLE TO DRAIN WASTE WATER AND WASTE WATER BACKING UP FROM DISH WASHING HAND SINK. STAFF UNABLE TO WASH HANDS. DURING INSPECTION MANAGER WAS ABLE TO UNCLOG ONE OF THE TWO SINKS. MUST HAVE BOTH HAND SINKS PROPERLY WORKING AT RE-INSPECTION.PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-030(C).CITATION ISSUED.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • EXPOSED BRICK WALL IN THE MEN'S WASHROOM MUST BE SEALED TO BE SMOOTH AND CLEANABLE.----EXPANDING SPRAY FOAM USED AS A WALL SEALANT UNDER THE HAND SINK IN THE MEN'S WASHROOM. MUST REMOVE TO MAKE THE WALL SMOOTH AND CLEANABLE.
• ⚠️All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NO PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING OR CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE FOR ALL REQUIRED EMPLOYEES. MUST PROVIDE.
  All Food Employees Have Food Handler Training • NO PROOF OF FOOD HANDLER TRAINING OR CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE FOR ALL REQUIRED EMPLOYEES. MUST PROVIDE.
• 🥜allergen training missing
  Allergen Training As Required • NO PROOF OF ALLERGEN TRAINING OR CERTIFICATES FOR THE CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER. MUST PROVIDE.

When was Spicy Mex last inspected?

Spicy Mex has 5 inspections on record going back to February 8, 2018.

Spicy Mex vs North Center

North Center runs 41% clean across 976 tracked restaurants — 402 clean, 74 mid, 495 cooked.

Against the 976 spots Cooked tracks in North Center, this one comes out cleaner than 0% of them.

Other spots in North Center

• ✓ Sushi King Iii
  cooked · March 1, 2018
• ✓ Breakfast House Restaurant
  clean · January 20, 2026
• ✓ Temple Bar Chicago
  clean · April 20, 2018
• ✓ Pi-Hi Cafe
  cooked · August 8, 2023
• ✓ Mi Fogata
  cooked · March 12, 2025
• ✓! El Llano Restaurant
  mid · March 30, 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 January 22, 2019. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.