Taqueria El Gallo

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations2
• last inspectedMay 6, 2011
• address3532 W Montrose Ave, Chicago 60618

Is Taqueria El Gallo clean?

Taqueria El Gallo is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on May 6, 2011. Inspectors wrote up 2 critical violations — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Taqueria El Gallo?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on May 6, 2011, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🤒sick-employee policy not followedcritical
  Potentially Hazardous Food Meets Temperature Requirement During Storage, Preparation Display And Service • All cold food shall be stored at a temperature of 40F or less. POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOODS AT IMPROPER TEMPERATURES, FOUND CONTAINER OF CKD. BEANS AT 104.5F, [6LBS] ANOTHER CONTAINER WITH ABOUT 3LBS SLICED TOMATOES AT 48.06F. INADEQUATE FOOD PROTECTION. MUST KEEP COLD FOOD AT 40F OR BELOW, HOT 140F OR HIGHER. MANAGE STATES BEANS WERE COOKED YESTERDAY. ABOVE FOOD ITEMS DISCARDED. V=60.00. CRITICAL CITATION ISSUED, 7-38-005[A].
• 🚰handwashing sink issuescritical
  Sanitizing Rinse For Equipment And Utensils: Clean, Proper Temperature, Concentration, Exposure Time • Equipment and utensils should get proper exposure to the sanitizing solution during the rinse cycle. Bactericidal treatment shall consist of exposure of all dish and utensil surfaces to a rinse of clean water at a temperature of not less than 180F. OBSERVED EMPLOYEE, WASHING, RINSING MULTI USE UTENSILS AND SETTING THEM TO DRY WITHOUT USING A SANITIZING METHOD. INADEQUATE UTENSIL SANITATION. INSTRUCTED PROPER SET UP OF 3PART SINK USING 100PPM CHLORINE. CRITICAL CITATION ISSUED, 7-38-030.
• ⚠️Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers. MUST LABEL FOODS INSIDE WALK IN COOLER.
  Food In Original Container, Properly Labeled: Customer Advisory Posted As Needed • All food not stored in the original container shall be stored in properly labeled containers. MUST LABEL FOODS INSIDE WALK IN COOLER.
• ⚠️Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use. CLEAN MULTI-USE UTENSILS MUST BE PROPERLY STORED ON STORAGE SHELVES.
  Clean Multi-Use Utensils And Single Service Articles Properly Stored: No Reuse Of Single Service Articles • Containers and utensils shall be inverted, covered, or otherwise protected from contamination until used. All single-service drinking straws and containers shall be discarded immediately after use. CLEAN MULTI-USE UTENSILS MUST BE PROPERLY STORED ON STORAGE SHELVES.
• ⚠️Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. MUST REPLACE BROKEN GASKETS ON BOTH REACH IN COOLERS DOORS IN KITCHEN.
  Food And Non-Food Contact Surfaces Properly Designed, Constructed And Maintained • All food and non-food contact equipment and utensils shall be smooth, easily cleanable, and durable, and shall be in good repair. MUST REPLACE BROKEN GASKETS ON BOTH REACH IN COOLERS DOORS IN KITCHEN.
• 🧫food prep surfaces dirty
  Food And Non-Food Contact Equipment Utensils Clean, Free Of Abrasive Detergents • All utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each usage. MUST CLEAN-SANITIZE; COOLERS, FREEZERS, COOKING EQUIPMENT, BOTTOM PANELS OF PREP TABLES, STORAGE SHELVES, ETC..
• ⚠️Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. MUST CLEAN FLOORS THRU-OUT PREMISES, INCLUDING BASEMENT.
  Floors: Constructed Per Code, Cleaned, Good Repair, Coving Installed, Dust-Less Cleaning Methods Used • The floors shall be constructed per code, be smooth and easily cleaned, and be kept clean and in good repair. MUST CLEAN FLOORS THRU-OUT PREMISES, INCLUDING BASEMENT.
• ⚠️Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. MUST REPAIR NORTH WALLS IN SMALL STORAGE ROOM NEAR KITCHEN.
  Walls, Ceilings, Attached Equipment Constructed Per Code: Good Repair, Surfaces Clean And Dust-Less Cleaning Methods • The walls and ceilings shall be in good repair and easily cleaned. MUST REPAIR NORTH WALLS IN SMALL STORAGE ROOM NEAR KITCHEN.
• 🌡️thermometers missing
  Lighting: Required Minimum Foot-Candles Of Light Provided, Fixtures Shielded • Shielding to protect against broken glass falling into food shall be provided for all artificial lighting sources in preparation, service, and display facilities. MUST PROVIDE A LIGHT SHIELD ABOVE PREP TABLE IN KITCHEN.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Ventilation: Rooms And Equipment Vented As Required: Plumbing: Installed And Maintained • Ventilation: All plumbing fixtures, such as toilets, sinks, washbasins, etc., must be adequately trapped, vented, and re-vented and properly connected to the sewer in accordance with the plumbing chapter of the Municipal Code of Chicago and the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Health. MUST SEAL RUSTY GREASE TRAP UNDER 3PART SINK.

When was Taqueria El Gallo last inspected?

Taqueria El Gallo has 4 inspections on record going back to December 16, 2010.

Taqueria El Gallo vs Irving Park

Irving Park runs 64% clean across 804 tracked restaurants — 516 clean, 141 mid, 146 cooked.

Against the 804 spots Cooked tracks in Irving Park, this one comes out cleaner than 19% of them.

Other spots in Irving Park

• ✓ Great Dragon
  clean · August 5, 2014
• ✓ Seattle Suttons Healthy Eating
  clean · December 23, 2010
• ✓ Subway
  clean · January 9, 2014
• ✕ Global Restaurant
  cooked · January 30, 2012
• ✕ Chicago Grill
  cooked · June 16, 2011
• ✓ Taqueria El Primo
  clean · July 3, 2013

See every restaurant inspection in Irving Park →

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 6, 2011. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.