Cooked?
Beacon Hill Books & Cafe
- resultFail
- critical violations0
- last inspectedJuly 20, 2026
- address71 Charles St, Boston 02114
Is Beacon Hill Books & Cafe clean?
Beacon Hill Books & Cafe is currently Fail from Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division, from an inspection on July 20, 2026. No critical violations were recorded at that visit. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Beacon Hill Books & Cafe?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on July 20, 2026, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- ⚠️Consumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • After discussion with the person in charge there are items on the menus that can be served undercooked or raw and do not have the reminder * on the menu items either online or on the printed menus; provide an * on menu items that can be served raw or undercooked.Consumption of Animal Foods that are Raw Undercooked or Not Otherwise Processed to Eliminate Pathogens (Pf) • After discussion with the person in charge there are items on the menus that can be served undercooked or raw and do not have the reminder * on the menu items either online or on the printed menus; provide an * on menu items that can be served raw or undercooked.
- ⚠️Temperature Measuring Devices Manual and Mechanical Warewashing (Pf) • Establishment's irreversible thermometer turns off when put inside warewashing machine; repair or replace.Temperature Measuring Devices Manual and Mechanical Warewashing (Pf) • Establishment's irreversible thermometer turns off when put inside warewashing machine; repair or replace.
- ⚠️Outer Openings Protected (C) • The rear patio door remained propped open during the entire inspection; outer doors should be closed or have some sort of protection to prevent pest entry.Outer Openings Protected (C) • The rear patio door remained propped open during the entire inspection; outer doors should be closed or have some sort of protection to prevent pest entry.
- ⚠️Handwashing Signage (C) • At the rear sink in the kitchen there is no handwashing signage; provide.Handwashing Signage (C) • At the rear sink in the kitchen there is no handwashing signage; provide.
When was Beacon Hill Books & Cafe last inspected?
Beacon Hill Books & Cafe has 11 inspections on record going back to November 7, 2022.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| July 20, 2026 | Fail | |
| May 18, 2026 | Pass | |
| May 11, 2026 | Fail | |
| April 22, 2025 | Pass | |
| April 14, 2025 | Fail | |
| January 10, 2024 | Pass | |
| October 31, 2023 | Pass | |
| June 2, 2023 | Pass | |
| May 30, 2023 | Fail | |
| February 27, 2023 | — | |
| November 7, 2022 | Pass |
Beacon Hill Books & Cafe vs Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill runs 85% clean across 149 tracked restaurants — 123 clean, 10 mid, 11 cooked.
Against the 149 spots Cooked tracks in Beacon Hill, this one comes out cleaner than 7% of them.
Other spots in Beacon Hill
How Boston grades restaurants
Boston reports inspections as a pass or a fail, with no score and no letter. What separates a bad fail from a trivial one is the violation severity ladder: a single star is a minor issue, two stars is more serious, and three stars marks a critical foodborne-illness risk factor — temperature abuse, bad handwashing, cross-contamination. A restaurant can fail on paperwork alone, which is not the same as failing on food safety. Cooked splits Boston fails accordingly: a fail with a three-star violation reads cooked, a fail on minor items only reads mid.
Source: Boston Inspectional Services, Health Division via Analyze Boston. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated July 20, 2026. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.