Who's Handling Your Food? Check Out the 10 Cleanest Restaurants in Oak Park

For 31 years now, the Johnson Restaurant Awards have made it a priority to seek out Oak Park’s cleanest and smoothest-running restaurants. Ten establishments have made the cut this year.

• Boss Burrito, 1110 W. Westgate St.
• King & I, 105 N. Marion St.
• Sagano Sushi, 731 Lake Street.
• Jerusalem Café, 1030 W. Lake St.
• Buzz Café, 905 S. Lombard Ave.
• Penny’s Noodle Shop, 1130 Chicago Ave.
• Michael’s Beef House, 6747 North Ave.
• Munch, 104 N. Marion St.
• Cucina Paradiso, 814 North Blvd.
• Wendy’s, Store #66-1060, 11 Harlem Ave.

The Oak Park Department of Public Health and Board of Health inspected 79 restaurants this year and judged them on their cooking, cooking, reheating and serving processes. Each awarded restaurant had to be carrying out each process to the exact standards of the Illinois State Food Service Sanitation Code, according to the Village of Oak Park website.

The Johnson Awards — named after Oak Park’s first lunchroom, established in the 1890s — use a comprehensive, 45-point inspection survey averaged over a two-year period to evaluate each restaurant.

The Health Department inspects more than 200 food service establishments each year. Only 79 were eligible for the Johnson Awards — the winners all have complex food service processes and maintain good management, according to the site. The ten restaurants above were handpicked as the cleanest and most reliable restaurants in the area.