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EL MEXICO DE CHICAGO

6345 W GRAND AVE, CHICAGO, IL 60639 · Restaurant

Inspection summary

EL MEXICO DE CHICAGO has been inspected 3 times by Chicago Department of Public Health since January 16, 2025. The most recent inspection, on January 9, 2026, recorded 4 infractions.

None of the 3 inspections on record were free of infractions. In the past 12 months there was 1 inspection with 4 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Protecting food from contamination and Handwashing and staff hygiene.

What these findings mean

Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.

  • Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk

    This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.

    Recorded once on January 9, 2026. For example: CONTAMINATION PREVENTED DURING FOOD PREPARATION, STORAGE & DISPLAY

  • Handwashing and staff hygieneHigher risk

    Hands are the main way germs like norovirus move from people to food. Inspectors look for stocked, accessible handwashing sinks, staff washing hands when required, hair restraints, and sick employees being kept away from food. Gaps here can spread illness quickly.

    Recorded once on January 16, 2025. For example: ADEQUATE HANDWASHING SINKS PROPERLY SUPPLIED AND ACCESSIBLE

  • Building, plumbing and upkeepLower risk

    Floors, walls and ceilings must be smooth and clean, with working lighting, ventilation, plumbing, hot and cold water, and washrooms. These are rarely an immediate food-safety risk on their own, but persistent problems can lead to pest or sanitation issues.

    Recorded 5 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on January 9, 2026. For example: PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN

  • Food safety training and certificationLower risk

    Most jurisdictions require a certified food handler or manager on site, and some require allergen or food-worker training. These findings mean the paperwork or the trained person was missing at the time. They do not by themselves mean food was handled unsafely.

    Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on January 9, 2026. For example: ALL FOOD EMPLOYEES HAVE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING

About this data

These results come from Chicago Department of Public Health, which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.

3 inspections

  1. Canvass

    4 infractions

    • 39. CONTAMINATION PREVENTED DURING FOOD PREPARATION, STORAGE & DISPLAY
      • OBSERVED FOOD CONTAINERS STORED ON THE FLOOR IN THE WALK-IN COOLER, PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO PROPERLY STORE AND PROTECT FOOD ITEMS FROM CONTAMINATION WHILE STORED BY ELEVATING AT LEAST SIX INCHES FROM THE FLOOR ON RAISED SHELVING UNITS.
    • 55. PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN
      • OBSERVED EXPOSED FOAM-LIKE CAULK ON THE WALLS AND AROUND PIPES, IN CORNERS, AND CREVICES THROUGHOUT PREMSES. INSTRUCTED TO RESURFACE AREA TO ENSURE A SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE SURFACE.
    • 56. ADEQUATE VENTILATION & LIGHTING; DESIGNATED AREAS USED
      • OBSERVED THE VENTILATION HOOD AND FILTERS ABOVE THE COOKING EQUIPMENT IN NEED OF CLEANING. INSTRUCTED TO DETAIL CLEAN AND MAINTAIN AT ALL TIMES.
    • 57. ALL FOOD EMPLOYEES HAVE FOOD HANDLER TRAINING
      • OBSERVED NO PROOF OF TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN RECORDS AT ALL TIMES.
  2. License Re-Inspection

    1 infraction

    • 55. PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN
      • OBSERVED UNUSED EQUIPMENT AND UNNECESSARY ARTICLES IN BASEMENT STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REMOVE ALL UNUSED, UNNECSSARY EQUIPMENT AND ARTICLES TO PREVENT PEST HARBORAGE
  3. License

    4 infractions

    • 3. MANAGEMENT, FOOD EMPLOYEE AND CONDITIONAL EMPLOYEE; KNOWLEDGE, RESPONSIBILITIES AND REPORTING
      • OBSERVED NO VERIFIABLE EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON SITE AT TIME OF INSPECTION. LEFT TEMPLATE AND INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN COPIES OF VERIFIABLE HEALTH POLICY SIGNED BY ALL EMPLOYEES ON SITE AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-010. NO CITATION ISSUED
    • 10. ADEQUATE HANDWASHING SINKS PROPERLY SUPPLIED AND ACCESSIBLE
      • OBSERVED HANDWASHING SINK INACCESSIBLE AT THE BASEMENT BAR AREA IN OPERABLE DUE TO IT LEAKING WHEN IN USE. INSTRUCTED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE AND MAINTAIN. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(c)
    • 53. TOILET FACILITIES: PROPERLY CONSTRUCTED, SUPPLIED, & CLEANED
      • OBSERVED NO COVERED RECEPTACLES INSIDE OF WOMENS TOILET ROOMS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE.
    • 55. PHYSICAL FACILITIES INSTALLED, MAINTAINED & CLEAN
      • OBSERVED UNUSED EQUIPMENT AND UNNECESSARY ARTICLES IN BASEMENT STORAGE AREA. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO REMOVE ALL UNUSED, UNNECSSARY EQUIPMENT AND ARTICLES TO PREVENT PEST HARBORAGE.

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