Taqueria La Zacatecana

• resultPass
• critical violations1
• last inspectedSeptember 30, 2025
• address3024 N California Ave, Chicago 60618

Is Taqueria La Zacatecana clean?

Taqueria La Zacatecana is currently Pass from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on September 30, 2025. 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 Taqueria La Zacatecana?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 30, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecritical
  Adequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED HANDWASHING SINK IN THE REAR PREP AREA MISSING SIGNAGE NOTIFYING FOOD EMPLOYEES TO WASH HANDS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE HANDWASHING SIGNAGE TO ALL HANDWASHING SINKS AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
• 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to code
  Food & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED CUTTING BOARD IN THE MAIN PREP AREA TO BE DISFIGURED AND MELTED NEAR THE STOVE. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE CUTTING BOARD WITH BOARD MADE OF MATERIAL THAT CAN WITHSTAND HEAT AND MAINTAIN ORIGINAL SHAPE AND FUNCTION UNDER NORMAL KITCHEN CONDITIONS AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED CENTRAL COUNTER (ALONG MAIN PREP AREA) CONSTRUCTED OF EXPOSED, UNSEALED WOOD ON NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES. INSTRUCTED TO TREAT OR PAINT WOOD OR REPLACE WITH MATERIAL TO MAINTAIN NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACE SMOOTH AND EASILY-CLEANABLE. • OBSERVED ICE MACHINE IN THE FRONT PREP AREA STORED ON MILK CRATES DIRECTLY ON THE FLOOR. INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE MILK CRATES TO ELEVATE FIXED ICE MACHINE AT LEAST 6" ABOVE THE FLOOR TO ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE CLEANING AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED EXCESSIVE CLUTTER OF UNNECESSARY ITEMS AND NONFUNCTIONAL EQUIPMENT IN THE OUTDOOR WASTE RECEPTACLE STORAGE ENCLOSURE. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ALL ITEMS UNNECESSARY TO FOOD OPERATIONS AND NONFUNCTIONAL EQUIPMENT AND MAINTAIN OUTDOOR WASTE ENCLOSURE FREE FROM CLUTTER.
  Garbage & Refuse Properly Disposed; Facilities Maintained • OBSERVED EXCESSIVE CLUTTER OF UNNECESSARY ITEMS AND NONFUNCTIONAL EQUIPMENT IN THE OUTDOOR WASTE RECEPTACLE STORAGE ENCLOSURE. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE ALL ITEMS UNNECESSARY TO FOOD OPERATIONS AND NONFUNCTIONAL EQUIPMENT AND MAINTAIN OUTDOOR WASTE ENCLOSURE FREE FROM CLUTTER.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED PAINT PEELING ALONG CEILING SURFACE OF WALK-IN COOLER AREA, NOT SMOOTH AND EASILY-CLEANABLE. INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE OR REPLACE PAINT TO MAINTAIN PHYSICAL FACILITY SURFACES SMOOTH AND EASILY-CLEANABLE IN THE WALK-IN COOLER. • OBSERVED FLOORS BENEATH EQUIPMENT IN THE REAR STORAGE AREA TO BE HEAVILY SOILED WITH DUST AND DRIED FOOD DEBRIS. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN FLOORS AND OTHER PHYSICAL FACILITIES AT ADEQUATE FREQUENCY TO PREVENT BUILD UP OF DUST, DRIED FOOD DEBRIS, AND OTHER SOILS AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED LIGHT FIXTURE IN THE REAR STORAGE AREA TO BE IN POOR REPAIR, LIGHTING OF INSUFFICIENT INTENSITY. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE REAR STORAGE AREA LIGHT FIXTURE TO MAINTAIN LIGHTING OF ADEQUATE INTENSITY FOR THIS AREA.
  Adequate Ventilation & Lighting; Designated Areas Used • OBSERVED LIGHT FIXTURE IN THE REAR STORAGE AREA TO BE IN POOR REPAIR, LIGHTING OF INSUFFICIENT INTENSITY. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE REAR STORAGE AREA LIGHT FIXTURE TO MAINTAIN LIGHTING OF ADEQUATE INTENSITY FOR THIS AREA.

When was Taqueria La Zacatecana last inspected?

Taqueria La Zacatecana has 24 inspections on record going back to February 5, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Taqueria La Zacatecana vs Avondale

Avondale runs 64% clean across 679 tracked restaurants — 432 clean, 111 mid, 133 cooked.

Against the 679 spots Cooked tracks in Avondale, this one comes out cleaner than 36% of them.

Other spots in Avondale

• ? Zacatecas Mexican Restaurant
  cooked · July 26, 2012
• ✓! Eat First Chinese Food
  mid · September 8, 2020
• ✓ Burger King
  clean · December 7, 2023
• ✓! Kurowski Sausage Shop & Rich's Bakery
  mid · June 29, 2026
• ✓ Shell
  clean · March 4, 2026
• ✓ Taqueria El Ranchito
  clean · May 20, 2026

See every restaurant inspection in Avondale →

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 September 30, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.