What is EL Palenque's health inspection score?

EL Palenque has a SafeDine safety score of 96 out of 100 (Grade A). This score is calculated from official government health inspection data, factoring in violation severity, recency, and trends.

When was EL Palenque last inspected?

EL Palenque was last inspected on October 9, 2025. SafeDine tracks official health department inspections and updates scores automatically.

How many health violations does EL Palenque have?

EL Palenque has 14 total violations across 5 inspections on record. Violations are categorized by severity: high priority, intermediate, and basic.

Is EL Palenque safe to eat at?

Yes, EL Palenque has an excellent safety record with a score of 96/100. This indicates strong compliance with health and safety standards.

Official Health Record

EL Palenque

Name: EL Palenque
Address: 5426 W Vernor St, Detroit, 48209
Rating: 96

5426 W Vernor St, Detroit

Last inspected 7mo ago

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0Excellent

Central Southwest

Ranked #30 of 195 in Central Southwest

Stable

7 inspections

Last: Oct 9, 2025

medium confidence

Directions Order

Inspections

14%

Clean Rate

Avg Violations

8 months ago

Last Inspected

Top Concerns

Most common issues from recent inspections

Temperature controlHigh Priority

Food not kept at safe temperatures — risk of bacterial growth

Cross-contaminationHigh Priority

Raw and cooked foods not properly separated

Pest issues

Evidence of pests found during inspection

Score Analysis

How the SafeDine score is calculated

Live Data Feed

Starting Score

100

Total Deductions

-4

Final Score

Impact Breakdown

High Priority

-0 pts

Direct health hazards • 10 pts each

Intermediate

-0 pts

Potential hazards • 5 pts each

Basic

-1 pts

Best practices • 2 pts each

Freshness Penalty

-3 pts

Score reduced due to stale inspection data

Inspection Timeline

+1 pts

100

Latest

100% weight

2nd

60% weight

3rd

30% weight

How scoring works: Every restaurant starts at 100 points. Points are deducted for violations found during inspections.

Recent inspections are weighted more heavily. High priority violations (direct health hazards) have the greatest impact.

Location

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5426 W Vernor St, Detroit, MI 48209

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Violation Timeline

Sep 2021

1 inspections

2 basic

Sep

Apr 2022

1 inspections

1 high priority

1 basic

Jul 2023

1 inspections

2 high priority

3 intermediate

1 basic

Jul

Feb 2024

1 inspections

1 intermediate

1 basic

Jul 2024

1 inspections

1 basic

Jul

Feb 2025

1 inspections

1 basic

Oct 2025

1 inspections

Oct

Inspection History

7 records on file

7 Routine Inspection

Oct 25

Routine Inspection InspectionLatestClean

No violations

100/100inspection score

Feb 25

Routine Inspection Inspection

1 Basic

1 total

98/100inspection score

−2 pts

Basic (1)

−2 pts

3-304.14(A) Cloths that are in use for wiping FOOD spills on TABLEWARE shall be maintained dry and used for no other purpose. (B) Cloths in-use for wiping counters and equipment shall be held between uses in a chemical sanitizer solution, and laundered daily. (C) Cloths in-use for wiping surfaces in contact with raw animal FOODS shall be kept separate from cloths used for other purposes. (D) Dry wiping cloths and the chemical sanitizing solutions shall be free of FOOD debris or visible−2

Base deductions−2 pts

Jul 24

Routine Inspection Inspection

1 Basic

1 total

98/100inspection score

−2 pts

Basic (1)

−2 pts

MFL289.2129Sec. 2129. (1) All food establishments shall employ a minimum of 1 managerial employee as a food safety manager, who must be an individual who is currently certified under a personnel certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute, utilizing the Conference for Food Protection standards: (2) Beginning January 14, 2017 and every 5 years thereafter, a certified food safety manager who supervises the operations of a food service establishment shall have completed a fo−2

Base deductions−2 pts

Feb 24

Routine Inspection Inspection

1 Med1 Basic

2 total

93/100inspection score

−7 pts

Intermediate (1)

−5 pts

2-102.11The PERSON IN CHARGE shall demonstrate this knowledge by compliance with this Code, by being a certified FOOD protection manager who has shown proficiency of required information through passing a test that is part of an ACCREDITED PROGRAM, or by responding correctly to the inspector's questions as they relate to the specific FOOD operation. (Pf)−5

Basic (1)

−2 pts

MFL289.2129Sec. 2129. (1) All food establishments shall employ a minimum of 1 managerial employee as a food safety manager, who must be an individual who is currently certified under a personnel certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute, utilizing the Conference for Food Protection standards: (2) Beginning January 14, 2017 and every 5 years thereafter, a certified food safety manager who supervises the operations of a food service establishment shall have completed a fo−2

Base deductions−7 pts

Jul 23

Routine Inspection Inspection

2 High3 Med1 Basic

6 total2 risk factors

53/100inspection score

−37 pts

High Priority (2)

−20 pts

3-501.14(A) Cooked POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD (TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD) shall be cooled: (1) Within 2 hours, from 135ºF to 70ºF; and (P) (2) Within 4 hours, from 70ºF to 41ºF or less (P) (B) POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD (TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD) prepared from ingredients at ambient temperature shall be cooled within 4 hours to 41F or less. (P) (C) POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD (TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD) received in compliance wiRisk Factor−10
3-302.11(A) FOOD shall be protected from cross contamination by: (1) Except as specified in (1)(c) below, separating raw animal FOODS during storage, preparation, holding, and display from: (a) Raw READY-TO-EAT FOOD including other raw animal FOOD such as FISH for sushi or MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH, or other raw READY-TO-EAT FOOD such as fruits and vegetables,(P) and (b) Cooked READY-TO-EAT FOOD; (P) (c) Frozen, commercially processed and packaged raw animal FOOD may be stored or displayed Risk Factor−10

Intermediate (3)

−15 pts

2-102.11The PERSON IN CHARGE shall demonstrate this knowledge by compliance with this Code, by being a certified FOOD protection manager who has shown proficiency of required information through passing a test that is part of an ACCREDITED PROGRAM, or by responding correctly to the inspector's questions as they relate to the specific FOOD operation. (Pf)−5
3-501.17(A) READY-TO-EAT, POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD (TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD) prepared and held refrigerated for more than 24 hours in a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT shall be clearly marked at the time of preparation to indicate the date or day by which the FOOD shall be consumed. (Pf) (B) A container of refrigerated, commercially prepared READY-TO-EAT POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD (TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOOD) shall be clearly marked, at the time the original container is opened −5
3-501.15(A) Cooling shall be accomplished in accordance with the time and temperature criteria specified under § 3-501.14 by using one or more of the following methods based on the type of FOOD being cooled: (1) Placing the FOOD in shallow pans; (Pf) (2) Separating the FOOD into smaller or thinner portions; (Pf) (3) Using rapid cooling EQUIPMENT; (Pf) (4) Stirring the FOOD in a container placed in an ice water bath; (Pf) (5) Using containers that facilitate heat transfer; (Pf) (6) Ad−5

Basic (1)

−2 pts

MFL289.2129Sec. 2129. (1) All food establishments shall employ a minimum of 1 managerial employee as a food safety manager, who must be an individual who is currently certified under a personnel certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute, utilizing the Conference for Food Protection standards: (2) Beginning January 14, 2017 and every 5 years thereafter, a certified food safety manager who supervises the operations of a food service establishment shall have completed a fo−2

Base deductions−37 pts

Risk factor bonus (2× +5)−10 pts

Apr 22

Routine Inspection Inspection

1 High1 Basic

2 total1 risk factor

83/100inspection score

−12 pts

High Priority (1)

−10 pts

7-201.11POISONOUS OR TOXIC MATERIAL shall be stored so they can not contaminate FOOD, EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, LINENS, AND SINGLE-SERVICE AND SINGLE-USE ARTICLES by: (A) Separating the POISONOUS OR TOXIC MATERIAL by spacing or partitioning; (P) and (B) Locating the POISONOUS OR TOXIC MATERIAL in an area that is not above FOOD, EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, LINENS, AND SINGLE-SERVICE AND SINGLE-USE ARTICLES. This paragraph does not apply to EQUIPMENT and UTENSIL cleaners and sanitizers that are stored in WAREWRisk Factor−10

Basic (1)

−2 pts

MFL289.2129Sec. 2129. (1) All food establishments shall employ a minimum of 1 managerial employee as a food safety manager, who must be an individual who is currently certified under a personnel certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute, utilizing the Conference for Food Protection standards: (2) Beginning January 14, 2017 and every 5 years thereafter, a certified food safety manager who supervises the operations of a food service establishment shall have completed a fo−2

Base deductions−12 pts

Risk factor bonus (1× +5)−5 pts

Sep 21

Routine Inspection Inspection

2 Basic

2 total

96/100inspection score

−4 pts

Basic (2)

−4 pts

6-501.12(A) PHYSICAL FACILITIES shall be cleaned as often as necessary to keep them clean. (B) Except spill cleanup, cleaning shall be done during periods when the least amount of FOOD is exposed such as after closing. −2
MFL289.2129Sec. 2129. (1) All food establishments shall employ a minimum of 1 managerial employee as a food safety manager, who must be an individual who is currently certified under a personnel certification program accredited by the American National Standards Institute, utilizing the Conference for Food Protection standards: (2) Beginning January 14, 2017 and every 5 years thereafter, a certified food safety manager who supervises the operations of a food service establishment shall have completed a fo−2

Base deductions−4 pts

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Community Safety Reports

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Data source: Detroit Health Dept · Official government inspection records

Grading System

85 – 100
Excellent
70 – 84
Good
Below 70
Fair

About SafeDine Scores

Scores are calculated using official government inspection data. High Priority violations (direct health hazards) have the greatest impact, followed by Intermediate and Basic violations. Community reviews can adjust the score by up to 5 points when 3+ reviews are submitted.

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