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Restaurant · Minneapolis, MN

La Mexicana #1

1522 Lake St E

Last inspected Aug 6, 2026 · View Map ↗ · Compare ↗

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Repeat problemsSerious findings or closures appear in two or more of the last three inspections. Review the dated records below.

The full inspection history

4 inspections

Follow-Up

Aug 6, 2026

Complete

Official score: 98 · Understand this area’s scale

2 recorded violations

minorCode MN Rule 4626.0840CCleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Clean non-food contact surfaces of equipment. Keep them clean.

Inspector’s notes

Observed the mop sink in the bakery area to be dirty. Clean and maintain clean.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
majorCode MN Rule 4626.1445Handwashing

Official wording

Keep at each handwashing sink or group of adjacent handwashing sinks one of: • A supply of disposable towels • A continuous towel system • An approved air temperature hand drying device

Inspector’s notes

Observed paper towels missing from handwashing sinks in kitchen and bakery area. Paper towels were provided at time of inspection. All handwashing sinks must be properly supplied with paper towels at all times. Corrected on-site.

In plain English

Staff were not washing their hands when required, or a handwashing sink was blocked, missing soap or paper towels, or used for something else. Hands are one of the most common ways germs reach food.

More about handwashing problems

Official record from Minneapolis Health Department, Aug 6, 2026 · Original Source

Routine

Jul 20, 2026

Complete

Official score: 90 · Understand this area’s scale

6 recorded violations

majorCode MN Rule 4626.1440Handwashing

Official wording

Have hand soap at all handwashing sinks.

Inspector’s notes

Observed no hand soap in either hand sink in the kitchen and bakery area. All handwashing sinks must be properly supplied with hand soap at all times. Hand soap was provided at both handwashing sinks during the inspection.

In plain English

Staff were not washing their hands when required, or a handwashing sink was blocked, missing soap or paper towels, or used for something else. Hands are one of the most common ways germs reach food.

More about handwashing problems
majorCode MN Rule 4626.0400AFood source and labeling

Official wording

Use an effective method to date mark refrigerated, ready-to-eat, TCS food prepared and held for more than 24 hours. Day one is the day the food was made.

In plain English

Food came from an unapproved source, was missing required date marks or labels, or was past its use-by date. Knowing where food came from and how old it is helps prevent illness.

More about food source, dating, or labeling problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0840CCleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Clean non-food contact surfaces of equipment. Keep them clean.

Inspector’s notes

Observed mop sink located in bakery area to have a large amount of dirt accumulation. Clean and maintain mop sink area clean.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
criticalCode MN Rule 4626.0270ACleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Food must not come in contact with equipment and utensil surfaces that are not cleaned and sanitized.

Inspector’s notes

Observed large food containers holding frosting/icing to be heavily soiled from the outside with old frosting. The Person In Charge (PIC) was asked to ensure containers are being properly cleaned before replenishing.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
majorCode MN Rule 4626.0715Cleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Have a test kit for the type of sanitizer used.

Inspector’s notes

Observed no chlorine sanitizer test strips available. Obtain test strips and use as instructed.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0285BCleaning and sanitizing

Official wording

Wiping cloths used for wiping surfaces must: • Be held in an approved sanitizing solution • Laundered daily

Inspector’s notes

Observed the chlorine concentration in sanitizer bucket to be 0ppm. Ensure that sanitizer water is replaced every 2 to 4 hours.

In plain English

Dishes, equipment, or surfaces that touch food were not properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized, or sanitizer was not at the right strength. Clean surfaces help stop germs from spreading to food.

More about cleaning or sanitizing problems

Official record from Minneapolis Health Department, Jul 20, 2026 · Original Source

Routine

Jul 8, 2025

Complete

Official score: 92 · Understand this area’s scale

4 recorded violations

minorCode MN Rule 4626.0235A(4)Contamination

Official wording

Protect food from cross-contamination by using packages or covered containers.

Inspector’s notes

Observed chocolate decoration and sprinkles to be left uncovered in bottom shelf of prep table. Person In Charge was asked to cover all food during storage mode to prevent possible contamination.

In plain English

Food was stored or handled in a way that could let germs or other material get into it, such as raw meat stored above ready-to-eat food or uncovered food. Cross-contamination is a common cause of foodborne illness.

More about food not protected from contamination
majorCode MN Rule 4626.1440Handwashing

Official wording

Have hand soap at all handwashing sinks.

Inspector’s notes

Observed no hand soap in handwashing sink located in the kitchen area. The Person In Charge was asked to keep handwashing station properly supplied with hand soap at all times.

In plain English

Staff were not washing their hands when required, or a handwashing sink was blocked, missing soap or paper towels, or used for something else. Hands are one of the most common ways germs reach food.

More about handwashing problems
criticalCode MN Rule 4626.0040COther

Official wording

Keep a log to record employee illness symptoms. Have it available upon request.

Inspector’s notes

Observed no employee illness log on-site. An employee illness log has been provided with the report. Print and use as instructed during inspection.

In plain English

An issue that does not fit the common categories. Check the official wording for details.

More about other finding
majorCode MN Rule 4626.0400AFood source and labeling

Official wording

Use an effective method to date mark refrigerated, ready-to-eat, TCS food prepared and held for more than 24 hours. Day one is the day the food was made.

Inspector’s notes

Observed two hotel pans with shredded chicken without proper datemarking in the walk-in cooler. You must date mark all TCS foods that are held for more than 24 hours so they do not exceed 7 days.

In plain English

Food came from an unapproved source, was missing required date marks or labels, or was past its use-by date. Knowing where food came from and how old it is helps prevent illness.

More about food source, dating, or labeling problems

Official record from Minneapolis Health Department, Jul 8, 2025 · Original Source

Routine

Jul 11, 2024

Complete

Official score: 92 · Understand this area’s scale

4 recorded violations

criticalCode MN Rule 4626.0395A2Food temperature

Official wording

Keep all cold TCS foods at 41 degrees F or colder under mechanical refrigeration.

Inspector’s notes

Observed green salsa in walk-in cooler holding between 75F and 68F. Person In Charge mentioned that food had been made the day before. Food was found in a deep container, covered. Person In Charge was asked to discard product.

In plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.

More about food kept at an unsafe temperature
majorCode MN Rule 4626.0390BFood temperature

Official wording

While TCS foods are cooling, keep containers uncovered, unstacked, and spread out.

Inspector’s notes

Observed green salsa cooling from day before in a tightly covered container. Person In Charge was asked to keep food uncovered during cooling process.

In plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.

More about food kept at an unsafe temperature
majorCode MN Rule 4626.0390AFood temperature

Official wording

Use effective cooling methods to cool TCS foods.

Inspector’s notes

Observed green salsa cooling from day before stored in a large container covered. Person In Charge was asked to keep food in shallow pans during the cooling process.

In plain English

Food was not kept cold enough, hot enough, cooled fast enough, or cooked or reheated to the right temperature. Bacteria grow quickly in the "danger zone" between 41°F and 135°F, which makes this one of the most important food-safety checks.

More about food kept at an unsafe temperature
minorCode MN Rule 4626.0235A(4)Contamination

Official wording

Protect food from cross-contamination by using packages or covered containers.

Inspector’s notes

Observed liquid eggs, jalapenos and baked goods in walk-in cooler and freezer uncovered during storage mode.

In plain English

Food was stored or handled in a way that could let germs or other material get into it, such as raw meat stored above ready-to-eat food or uncovered food. Cross-contamination is a common cause of foodborne illness.

More about food not protected from contamination

Official record from Minneapolis Health Department, Jul 11, 2024 · Original Source

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