As of 2026-07-27, Lito's Tamales failed its most recent City of Chicago health inspection.

Lito's Tamales

FAIL

4242 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60639

Hermosa · Chicago Dept. of Public Health · Last inspected 2026-07-27

Routine inspection

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Violations at most recent inspection

NOTED FACILITY DID NOT PROVIDE A VALID CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATE FOR EMPLOYEES WORKING ON SITE. INFORMED THAT A CERTIFIED MANAGER WITH A CURRENT CITY OF CHICAGO CERTIFICATE MUST BE ON PREMISES AT ALL TIMES, AND A VALID CERTIFICATE MUST REMAIN POSTED ON SITE WHENEVER TIME AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY(TCS) FOODS ARE BEING PREPARED, HANDLED, AND/OR SERVED. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-012. CITATION ISSUED.

priority violation

OBSERVED NO WRITTEN EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY ON SITE. INSTRUCTED FACILITY TO ESTABLISH AN APPROPRIATE EMPLOYEE HEALTH POLICY AND MAINTAIN VERIFIABLE SIGNED COPIES ON SITE FOR ALL FOOD EMPLOYEES IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF REPORTING AGREEMENT. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-010. CITATION ISSUED.

priority violation

OBSERVED NO WRITTEN PROCEDURES OR SUPPLIES FOR RESPONDING TO VOMITING OR DIARRHEAL EVENTS. SUPPLIES MUST INCLUDE ADEQUATE SANITIZER THAT ELIMINATES NOROVIRUS. INSTRUCTED FACILITY TO PROVIDE A CLEANUP POLICY AND SUPPLIES TO PROPERLY HANDLE BODILY FLUID SPILLS ON SITE. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.

priority violation

OBSERVED HAND SINK IN PREP AREA AND EMPLOYEE RESTROOM NOT STOCKED WITH HAND SOAP. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE THAT HAND SOAP MUST BE AVAILABLE AT HAND SINK IN PREP AREA AND EMPLOYEE RESTROOMS AT ALL TIMES. FOOD HANDLER OBTAINED HAND SOAP FOR HAND SINK DURING TIME OF INSPECTION. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED.

priority violation

OBSERVED NO CURRENT PEST CONTROL LOG BOOK ON THE PREMISES. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE THAT A LICENSED PEST CONTROL COMPANY AND OPERATOR MUST PROVIDE AT LEAST 2 PEST INSPECTIONS A YEAR AND THE REPORTS MUST BE MAINTAINED IN THE LOG BOOK. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A CURRENT PEST CONTROL LOG BOOK AND PEST INSPECTION REPORTS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION 7-38-020(C). CITATION ISSUED.

priority violation

OBSERVED NO HOT WATER ON PREMISES. HOT WATER WAS NOT OBSERVED AT THE FOLLOWING SINKS: PREP HANDSINK, WASHBOWL SINK, AND 3-COMPARTMENT SINK. INFORMED PERSON IN CHARGE OF HOT WATER GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS SHALL BE SUFFICIENT TO MEET THE PEAK HOT WATER DEMANDS THROUGH THE RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT. MUST CORRECT AND MAINTAIN. PRIORITY VIOLATION #7-38-030(C). CITATION ISSUED.

priority violation

OBSERVED NO COMMERCIAL DUMPSTER CONTRACT. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A CONTRACT WITH A LICENSED WASTE MANAGEMENT OPERATOR. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION #7-38-020(B). CITATION ISSUED.

priority violation

OBSERVED PERSON IN CHARGE WITHOUT PROOF OF FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT TRAINING DURING THE TIME OF INSPECTION. MUST PROVIDE.

core violation

OBSERVED FOOD STORED IN CONTAINERS IN ALL THE COOLERS, WALK-IN COOLER, AND DRY STORAGE WITHOUT PROPER LABELING OF NAME. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO PROVIDE A LABEL REFLECTING THE FOOD ITEM'S NAME WHEN FOOD HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM ITS ORIGINAL PACKAGING.

core violation

OBSERVED MILK CRATES BEING USED AS SHELVING THROUGHOUT THE PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. MUST REMOVE AND PROVIDE SHELVING THAT IS 6" OFF THE FLOOR AND PROVIDES FLOOR ACCESSIBILITY TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FACILITY CLEANING.

core violation

OBSERVED GREASE BUILDUP, FOOD DEBRIS, AND DIRT ON FLOOR UNDER COOKING EQUIPMENT, ALONG WALLS AND IN ALL CORNERS IN PREP, DISH WASHING, STORAGE, AND BASEMENT AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN FLOORS UNDER ALL EQUIPMENT, ALONG WALLS AND IN ALL CORNERS IN ALL AREAS. OBSERVED DUST BUILDUP ON FAN IN WALK-IN COOLER, LIGHT SHIELDS IN COOKING AREA AND CEILING AND WALL VENTS IN PREP AND STORAGE AREAS. INSTRUCTED MANAGER TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN ALL FANS, LIGHT SHIELDS AND CEILING/WALL VENTS.

core violation

OBSERVED NO PROOF OF TRAINING FOR ALL FOOD HANDLERS. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN RECORDS AT ALL TIMES.

core violation

OBSERVED EXPIRED FOOD HANDLER CERTIFICATES. INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN RECORDS AT ALL TIMES.

core violation

Inspection history — tap to expand

20261 inspection

Jul 27Routine inspectionFAIL

20252 inspections

Nov 6Re-inspectionPASS

Oct 23Routine inspectionFAIL

20241 inspection

May 14Routine inspectionCONDITIONAL

20232 inspections

Nov 6License re-inspectionPASS

Oct 30New licenseFAIL

Lito's Tamales health inspection FAQ

Has Lito's Tamales passed its most recent Chicago health inspection?

Lito's Tamales failed its most recent City of Chicago health inspection, conducted on 2026-07-27. This reflects the restaurant's current status as tracked by the Chicago Department of Public Health -- GUTCHECK rebuilds this page from the city's live data feed, so it updates automatically as new inspections are recorded.

What violations did Lito's Tamales have at its last health inspection?

Inspectors recorded 13 violations at Lito's Tamales's most recent inspection on 2026-07-27, including 7 classified as Priority or Priority Foundation. Full violation text is listed on this page below.

When was Lito's Tamales last inspected by the City of Chicago?

Lito's Tamales was last inspected on 2026-07-27. GUTCHECK's data is sourced directly from the City of Chicago's public Food Inspections feed and rebuilt on every deploy, so this date reflects the most recent inspection on file at the time you're viewing this page.

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Independent service — not affiliated with the City of Chicago, Cook County, or any restaurant. Health inspection data sourced directly from the City of Chicago's public Food Inspections open-data feed (data.cityofchicago.org, dataset 4ijn-s7e5), rebuilt from the live feed on every deploy. Neighborhood is derived from ZIP code and is approximate.