El Chilito Tacos y Cafe
77/100 — Needs Improvement
Scores higher than 376 of 6,853 Austin-area facilities with a published score — about 5% of them. Citywide median current score: 93/100.
What a score of 77 means
Needs improvement. Inspections start at 100 and lose points for each violation the inspector writes up, so 77 means 23 points of violations were recorded on that visit. Below 80 is the lowest of the three bands this site groups Austin scores into — a minority of Austin inspections end here, and a result this low is the kind that tends to be followed by a re-inspection.
Scores higher than 376 of 6,853 Austin-area facilities with a published score — about 5% of them. Citywide median current score: 93/100. In ZIP 78745, it scores higher than 30 of 315 facilities with a published score (ZIP median: 91/100).
A score is a snapshot of a single visit on a single day. It measures compliance with food-safety rules — not food quality, service or how clean the place is today. Austin Public Health does not publish the individual violations behind a score, so this dataset cannot say what was found.
About El Chilito Tacos y Cafe Health Inspections
El Chilito Tacos y Cafe is a food establishment inspected by Austin Public Health, at 4501 Menchaca Rd, Austin, Texas (78745). Scores higher than 376 of 6,853 Austin-area facilities with a published score — about 5% of them. Citywide median current score: 93/100. In ZIP 78745, it scores higher than 30 of 315 facilities with a published score (ZIP median: 91/100).
⏱️Inspection Cadence
- Visited roughly every 277 days (median), across 4 recorded visit dates.
- 173 days since the most recent visit (February 23, 2026).
- Tracked for 3 years.
- Most recent scored visit held steady — 77/100 on May 22, 2025 to 77/100 on February 23, 2026.
📍Location Details
Address: 4501 Menchaca Rd
City: Austin, TX
ZIP Code: 78745
Inspections conducted by Austin Public Health
Health inspections are conducted by Austin Public Health to ensure restaurants maintain proper food safety standards. Scores are based on compliance with Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER) and assess factors including food temperature control, employee hygiene, facility cleanliness, and pest control. Regular inspections help protect public health by identifying and correcting violations before they can cause foodborne illness. Austin Public Health does not publish individual violation records alongside the score, so specific findings from a given visit are not part of this dataset.
🍴Nearby Restaurants
Within 0.5 miles · at least 43 found
📈Score Trend
| Date | Score |
|---|---|
| Jan 19, 2023 | 94 |
| Aug 16, 2023 | 93 |
| May 22, 2025 | 77 |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 77 |
Complete inspection history
Every inspection Austin Public Health has published for this facility, newest first, covering 3 years. Scores are published as a number out of 100; the individual violations behind each one are not published.
| Date | Score | Rating | Visit type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77/100 | Needs Improvement | Routine Inspection | |
| 77/100 | Needs Improvement | Routine Inspection | |
| 93/100 | Excellent | Routine Inspection | |
| 94/100 | Excellent | Routine Inspection |
Within half a mile and scoring higher
6 nearby facilities carry a most-recent score above El Chilito Tacos y Cafe’s 77. 37 of the at least 43 inspected neighbours scored the same or lower.
- Joslin Elementary School0.04 mi away · inspected Sep 12, 2023100/100
- Joslin Elementary School0.04 mi away · inspected Feb 16, 2023100/100
- Joslin Elementary School0.04 mi away · inspected Dec 12, 2024100/100
- Joslin Elementary School0.04 mi away · inspected Dec 12, 2024100/100
- Joslin Elementary School0.04 mi away · inspected Feb 16, 2023100/100
- Joslin Elementary School0.04 mi away · inspected Apr 12, 2024100/100
Distances are straight-line from the geocoded address, and every score shown is that facility’s most recent published one, which may be from a different date than the score above. A higher number is not a recommendation — it is one inspector’s reading of one visit.
Common questions about El Chilito Tacos y Cafe
- What was El Chilito Tacos y Cafe's last health inspection score?
- El Chilito Tacos y Cafe scored 77 out of 100 at its most recent scored inspection by Austin Public Health, on February 23, 2026. Inspections start at 100 and lose points for each violation the inspector writes up, so 77 means 23 points of violations were recorded on that visit. Below 80 is the lowest of the three bands this site groups Austin scores into — a minority of Austin inspections end here, and a result this low is the kind that tends to be followed by a re-inspection. Scores higher than 376 of 6,853 Austin-area facilities with a published score — about 5% of them. Citywide median current score: 93/100. Its average across 4 scored inspections is 85/100.
- Is El Chilito Tacos y Cafe clean?
- Nobody can answer that from this dataset, and this page will not pretend to. A score is a snapshot of a single visit on a single day. It measures compliance with food-safety rules — not food quality, service or how clean the place is today. Austin Public Health does not publish the individual violations behind a score, so this dataset cannot say what was found. What the record does show: at the last scored visit, on February 23, 2026, the inspector deducted 23 points for a score of 77/100, and scores higher than 376 of 6,853 Austin-area facilities with a published score — about 5% of them. Citywide median current score: 93/100.
- How many health inspections has El Chilito Tacos y Cafe had?
- El Chilito Tacos y Cafe has 4 health inspections on record from Austin Public Health over 3 years. 2 scored 90 or above, 0 scored 80 to 89, and 2 scored below 80. The median gap between recorded visits is 277 days.
- Where is El Chilito Tacos y Cafe located?
- El Chilito Tacos y Cafe is at 4501 Menchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78745. Located near at least 43 other inspected restaurants within 0.5 miles.
- What other inspected restaurants are near El Chilito Tacos y Cafe?
- There are at least 43 other inspected food establishments within half a mile, including Beatniks Market (85/100), Beatniks Market (92/100), Beatniks Market (92/100). Each has its own inspection history on this site.
- Does Austin publish the violations behind El Chilito Tacos y Cafe's score?
- No. The City of Austin open dataset behind this page (ecmv-9xxi) carries the establishment name, address, ZIP, inspection date, score, facility ID, and whether the visit was routine or a follow-up — and nothing else. There is no violation-level field, so no site republishing this dataset can tell you what an inspector actually found. Austin Public Health holds the full inspection reports.
All figures on this page come from Austin Public Health via the City of Austin open data portal, dataset ecmv-9xxi, newest inspection for this facility February 23, 2026. Nothing here is a rating written by this site.
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