Austin's Restaurant Health Report: The Highest and Lowest Inspection Scores From August 2026

In August 2026 — the most recent month of Austin restaurant inspections in Austin Public Health's records — the city logged 327 inspections averaging a 90.6 score, with 27 perfect 100s and exactly one restaurant below 70. According to ATX Things' analysis of the full dataset, a short stretch of Pond Springs Road in Northwest Austin, Texas produced two of the month's ten lowest scores.

Why This Report Covers August, Not September

Austin Public Health's inspection data syncs into ATX Things' database monthly — the most recent sync ran September 17, 2026, comfortably inside our 45-day freshness threshold for publishing scored claims. But the underlying inspection records themselves run only through August 25, 2026; the city's own dataset hasn't posted a September inspection yet as of this report. So August is genuinely the most recent full month of Austin restaurant inspections available anywhere. Every score below is exactly as recorded, with its real inspection date — treat any restaurant's current cleanliness as unconfirmed since that date, not as today's condition.

How Austin's Restaurants Scored in August 2026

Of the 327 inspections Austin Public Health conducted in August 2026, the large majority came back clean:

The median score was 92. Twenty-seven inspections — spanning a Whataburger on Cameron Road, a Taco Bell on Rundberg, and 5 Soul Wine Co. out in Spicewood — came back a perfect 100.

The Lowest Score: Kim Phung, 59

The single lowest score in Austin's August 2026 inspection data belongs to Kim Phung Vietnamese and Chinese Restaurant at 7601 N Lamar Blvd, which scored a 59 on August 13, 2026. It's the lowest score Austin Public Health's records show for this North Lamar location since at least 2023 — down from a 70 on its March 5, 2026 routine inspection and a 73 in October 2023. (A separate, unrelated business also named Kim Phung on East Riverside Drive is flagged "out of business" in the same dataset; this report concerns only the still-operating North Lamar restaurant.)

Two more of the month's lowest scores sat on the same short block of Pond Springs Road in Northwest Austin: Halal on Fire, at 13201 Pond Springs Rd, scored 71 on August 13, and Pond Spring Xpress, two doors down at 13125 Pond Springs Rd, scored 73 the same day. A third address in the same ZIP code, Halal Hub at 13729 N US 183, added a third score of 71 on August 20 — enough for the 78729 ZIP code to post the lowest average score (81.1 across seven inspections) of any Austin ZIP with a real sample this month.

Which ZIP Code Had the Cleanest Restaurants

For ZIP codes with a real sample of inspections in August 2026 (at least eight visits) inside Austin's city limits, Mueller and Windsor Park's 78723 came out cleanest: 11 inspections, an average score of 93.3, and nothing below 85.

The 78723 sample reads like a real cross-section of the neighborhood, not one outlier pulling up the average: B.D. Riley's Pub at Mueller scored 97 on August 5, Colleen's Kitchen scored 93 the same day, and the Whataburger on Cameron Road posted a perfect 100 on August 6.

The Follow-Up Inspection: Joy East's Turnaround

August's data captured one clear follow-up story — the second visit Austin Public Health schedules after a restaurant's score is low enough to need one. Joy East Chinese Buffet, the all-you-can-eat spot on East Riverside Drive, scored a 61 on its July 13, 2026 routine inspection. Its follow-up landed August 19, 2026, with a score of 79.

What Locals Should Know

• A score isn't a snapshot of today. Every number here traces to a specific inspection date in August 2026 — always check a restaurant's most current listing at Austin's own inspection portal before assuming a score still applies.
• "Out of business" flags aren't always current. The dataset's own status tag is useful context on a specific record, not a guarantee a location is still closed (or still open).
• Follow-up inspections are public too. When a restaurant scores low, Austin Public Health's re-inspection result — improved or not — lands in the same dataset, which is how we could track Joy East's turnaround above.

Method & Sources

This report analyzes Austin Public Health's restaurant inspection dataset for every inspection_date in August 2026 (August 1–25, the last date present in the synced data), pulled from ATX Things' database, which mirrors the city's own open dataset and was last synced September 17, 2026. The city's sync briefly double-logged 52 of August's records as exact duplicate rows; this report counts each real inspection once, for a clean total of 327. Scores, dates, and addresses are reported exactly as recorded. ZIP-level averages required at least 8 inspections in that ZIP during the month. Cite this report as "ATX Things analysis of Austin Public Health inspection data, August 2026." Look up any current Austin restaurant's inspection history at austintexasthings.com/inspections, or browse the city's own open records at data.austintexas.gov and austintexas.gov/service/restaurant-inspection-scores.

This is the second entry in ATX Things' monthly Restaurant Health Report series, following May 2026's report — the same recurring format we use for the Austin Development Report and Austin Economy Snapshot, each built from a dataset no other Austin outlet tracks month over month. Compare tonight's dinner pick against its real score with our best restaurants in Austin guide.

FAQ

What counts as a good health inspection score in Austin? Austin Public Health scores on a 0–100 scale, and most restaurants land in the 90s — August 2026's citywide median was 92. Scores in the 80s are common and not necessarily alarming; below 70 is the range where the city typically schedules a follow-up visit.

What happens after a restaurant scores below 70? Austin Public Health generally schedules a follow-up inspection to confirm violations have been corrected. In August 2026's data, Joy East Chinese Buffet's follow-up climbed 18 points, from 61 to 79.

Why does this report cover August 2026 inspections instead of September? Because that's the most recent month present in Austin Public Health's own inspection data as of this report — the underlying records run through August 25, 2026, even though the sync that pulled them into ATX Things' database ran in mid-September. We report the real inspection dates rather than implying the scores reflect current conditions.

Where can I look up a specific restaurant's current score? Search any Austin restaurant's full inspection history, including dates and follow-ups, at austintexasthings.com/inspections.

Does a low score mean a restaurant is unsafe to eat at right now? Not necessarily, and we don't make that call. A score reflects conditions on one specific inspection date, which may have changed since — especially if a follow-up inspection happened afterward, as it did for one restaurant in this report.