Austin Restaurants Can Be Pretty Unhygienic, Says New Report

Austin has some of the filthiest restaurants in the nation, according to a recent study by the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Their study, based on the twenty recipients of last year's "Best Cities Award" by Cooking Light magazine, analyzed a sample of health inspection reports from each city. Of the twenty, Austin and Boston ended up with the most "critical violations," which include things like improper handwashing, presence of rodents, or contaminated food contact surfaces. Local restaurants chosen ran the gamut from fancy eateries (Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Jeffrey's, and Vin Bistro) to fast food drive-thrus (Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A).

The report publishers were careful to mention, however, that the severity of infractions received by Austin's restaurants could also signal a heightened degree of due diligence on the part of our health inspectors.

Curious about how your favorite restaurant fared in recent health inspections? We've published the full list of Austin eateries after the jump, which includes all scores each has received in 2008. You can always check the City of Austin Restaurant Inspection Scores database for more specialized searches.

[CSPI: Dirty Dining (pdf)]