Tacos Y Tamales El Pollo

• resultFail
• critical violations0
• last inspectedJuly 20, 2026
• address4014 W 26Th St, Chicago 60623

Is Tacos Y Tamales El Pollo clean?

Tacos Y Tamales El Pollo is currently Fail 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 cooked 🪳.

What did inspectors find at Tacos Y Tamales El Pollo?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 20, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • 3-302.12 OBSERVED BULK CONTAINERS NOT LABELED IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO LABEL ALL BULK CONTAINERS WITH COMMON NAME OF FOOD.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • 6-501.111 OBSERVED OVER 60 RAT DROPPINGS SCATTERED ON FLOOR INSIDE CRAWL SPACE UNDER ELEVATED FLOORING, ON FLOOR ALONG WALLS UNDER FRONT COUNTER, ON FLOOR ALONG WALLS IN REAR STORAGE AREA, ALONG STAIRWAY LEADING TO BASEMENT, ON FLOOR ALONG WALLS AND CORNERS IN BASEMENT NEAR WATER HEATER, ON FLOOR ALONG WALLS AND CORNERS IN FRONT AND REAR BASEMENT AREAS. OBSERVED OVER 30 MOUSE DROPPINGS SCATTERED ON LEDGES UNDER FRONT COUNTER AND ALONG STAIRWAY LEADING TO BASEMENT. OBSERVED LIVE ROACH ACTIVITY IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CALL AN EXTERMINATOR FOR SERVICE, CLEAN AND SANITIZE ALL AREAS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-020(A) CITATION ISSUED • 6-202.15 OBSERVED 1/4" GAP AT BOTTOM OF FRONT AND REAR DOOR. OBSERVED 1/4" GAP AT BOTTOM RIGHT SIDE OF REAR EXTERIOR DOOR INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO SEAL ALL OUTER OPENINGS ON DOOR TO PREVENT PEST ENTRY. • 6-501.112 OBSERVED DEAD ROACHES ON FLOOR AND EQUIPMENT IN REAR PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REMOVE ALL DEAD ROACHES IN ALL AREAS.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • 3-304.14 OBSERVED SOILED WIPING CLOTHS STORED ON SINKS AND PREP TABLES. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO STORE WIPING CLOTHS IN SANITIZING SOLUTION BETWEEN USES.
• ⚠️In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • 3-304.12 OBSERVED BOWLS USED AS DISPENSING UTENSILS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE LONG HANDLE DISPENSING UTENSILS WITH HANDLE ABOVE FOOD TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
  In-Use Utensils: Properly Stored • 3-304.12 OBSERVED BOWLS USED AS DISPENSING UTENSILS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROVIDE LONG HANDLE DISPENSING UTENSILS WITH HANDLE ABOVE FOOD TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
• ⚠️Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • 4-903.11(A;C) OBSERVED SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES NOT INVERTED IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO INVERT ALL SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.
  Single-Use/Single-Service Articles: Properly Stored & Used • 4-903.11(A;C) OBSERVED SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES NOT INVERTED IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO INVERT ALL SINGLE SERVICE ARTICLES TO PROTECT FROM CONTAMINATION.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • 4-501.11 OBSERVED DAMAGED DOOR GASKETS ON COOLERS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPAIR/REPLACE COOLER DOOR GASKETS.
• 🚿plumbing acting up
  Non-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • 4-602.13 OBSERVED FOOD DEBRIS AND SPILLS ON INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT, COOLERS, FREEZERS, PREP TABLES, SHELVING UNITS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • 6-501.11 OBSERVED OPENINGS ALONG OUTLETS IN PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPAIR AND MAINTAIN. • 6-501.114 OBSERVED EXCESSIVE CLUTTER AND DIRTY DISHES IN THE DISHWASHING AREA, UNUSED ARTICLES AND EQUIPMENT STORED IN PREP AND BASEMENT AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REMOVE ALL UNNECESSARY ARTICLES TO PREVENT PEST HARBORAGE. • 6-501.11 OBSERVED WATER LEAKING FROM CEILING IN PREP AREA. OBSERVED OPENINGS IN CEILING NEAR VENTILATION HOOD. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REPAIR CEILING AND MAINTAIN.

When was Tacos Y Tamales El Pollo last inspected?

Tacos Y Tamales El Pollo has 18 inspections on record going back to April 23, 2019. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Tacos Y Tamales El Pollo vs South Lawndale

South Lawndale runs 32% clean across 668 tracked restaurants — 216 clean, 40 mid, 409 cooked.

Against the 668 spots Cooked tracks in South Lawndale, this one comes out cleaner than 59% of them.

Other spots in South Lawndale

• ✕ Mi Tierra South Restaurant
  cooked · August 13, 2019
• ✓! Golden Spice Bakery
  cooked · July 2, 2021
• ✓ Supermercado La Moreliana
  clean · August 14, 2024
• ✓ Dollar Tree #07725
  clean · December 1, 2020
• ✓ La Terraza
  cooked · November 22, 2019
• ✓ Las Sisters Inc
  cooked · November 25, 2019

See every restaurant inspection in South Lawndale →

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.