Taqueria San Jose #1

• resultPass w/ Conditions
• critical violations1
• last inspectedSeptember 26, 2025
• address3253 S Halsted St, Chicago 60608

Is Taqueria San Jose #1 clean?

Taqueria San Jose #1 is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on September 26, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.

What did inspectors find at Taqueria San Jose #1?

These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on September 26, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.

• 📋certified manager paperwork missingcritical
  City Of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate • UPON ARRIVAL, NO CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER ON SITE WHILE OPEN AND OPERATING. INSTRUCTED A CERTIFIED FOOD MANAGER MUST BE ON SITE AT ALL TIMES WHILE OPEN AND OPERATING. MANAGER ARRIVED ON SITE DURING THE WALK THROUGH OF THE FACIITY. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-012, CITATION ISSUED
• 🌡️hot/cold holding temps off
  Proper Hot Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED IMPROPER HOT HOLDING TEMPERATURE OF STEAK. FOUND COOKED STEAK NOT IN A HOT HOLDING UNIT AT 71.8F IN THE REAR PREP AREA WITH NO TIME/TEMPERATURE LOG BOOK PROVIDED. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTING A HOT HOLDING TEMPERATURE OF 135F OR ABOVE FOR TCS FOODS. APPROXIMATELY 13LBS AT $51 WORTH OR PRODUCT DISCARDED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005, CITATION ISSUED
• 🧊cold food not cold enough
  Proper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED IMPROPER COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURES OF TCS FOODS. FOUND BIG CONTAINERS OF REFRIED BEANS (51.7F) AND SHREDDED CHEESE (55.8F). INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN A COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURE OF 41F OR BELOW AT ALL TIMES FOR TCS FOODS. APPROXIMATELY 21LBS AT $87 WORTH OF PRODUCT DISCARDED. PRIORITY VIOLATION 7-38-005, CITATION CONSOLIDATED WITH VIOLATION #21.
• 🏷️food improperly labeled
  Food Properly Labeled; Original Container • OBSERVED A SPRAY BOTTLE WITH OIL IN THE REAR PREP AREA AND GLASS CONTAINERS AND SQUIRT BOTTLES AT THE FRONT SERVICE COUNTER/ PREP AREA NOT LABELED. INSTRUCTED TO LABEL WITH COMMON FOOD NAME.
• 🪳pests in the house
  Insects, Rodents, & Animals Not Present • OBSERVED A SMALL OPENING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR. INSTRUCTED TO SEAL OPENING AND MAINTAIN.
• ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED THE ICE SCOOP IMPROPERLY STORED ON THE PREP TABLE AT THE FRONT SERVICE/FOOD PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROPERLY STORE IN A FOOD GRADE BIN.
  Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED THE ICE SCOOP IMPROPERLY STORED ON THE PREP TABLE AT THE FRONT SERVICE/FOOD PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROPERLY STORE IN A FOOD GRADE BIN.
• 🧻grimy wiping cloths
  Wiping Cloths: Properly Used & Stored • OBSERVED IMPROPER USE OF YELLOW WIPING CLOTH. OBSERVED FOOD HANDLER WIPE HANDS ON WIPING CLOTH THROUGHOUT DISHWAHSING PROCCESS AND PLACE WIPING CLOTH ON TABLE BEHIND WAREWAHSING SINK. INSTRUCTED TO PUT MENTIONED WIPING CLOTH IN THE DIRTY PILE AND TO NEVER WIPE HANDS ON WIPING CLOTH AND REUSE TO WIPE SURFACES.
• 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimy
  Physical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED SLIGHT FOOD CRUMBS IN THE CREVICES ALONG THE WALLS IN THE REAR FOOD PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.

When was Taqueria San Jose #1 last inspected?

Taqueria San Jose #1 has 25 inspections on record going back to August 13, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.

Taqueria San Jose #1 vs Bridgeport

Bridgeport runs 69% clean across 347 tracked restaurants — 239 clean, 41 mid, 67 cooked.

Against the 347 spots Cooked tracks in Bridgeport, this one comes out cleaner than 45% of them.

Other spots in Bridgeport

• ? Thunderbird Catering
  cooked · June 20, 2012
• ? Thunderbird Catering
  cooked · June 20, 2012
• ✓ Thunderbird Catering Co.
  clean · June 21, 2012
• ? John & Samy, Inc.
  cooked · February 6, 2014
• ? Lanis Grocery Store
  cooked · August 9, 2013
• ✕ Zebra's Gourmet Hot Dogs
  cooked · September 5, 2012

See every restaurant inspection in Bridgeport →

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 26, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.