The Daily Telegraph reports cockroaches, food past its use-by-date and filthy cooking equipment have been found in the kitchens of some of Sydney’s popular eateries.

The NSW Food Authority has "named and shamed" 13 restaurants and food suppliers since December 1 for putting their customers at serious risk of food contamination.

According to the Office of State Revenue, 836 food suppliers have been fined $601,480 for food safety breaches in the six months from July 2011.

At Na Ju Gom Tang in Strathfield, food inspectors found uncovered meat defrosting in a bowl on the floor, cockroaches and general poor hygiene.

Macksville Quality Meats in Macksville was fined $2640 in December for four safety breaches including storing raw meat with ready-to-eat meat, poor hygiene, incomplete monitoring records and poor temperature control.

"I’m a small business. I got into trouble, I’m very sorry and I’ve fixed it all up. That’s what I’ve got to say," manager James Wilkes said.

Coolabah Tree manager Sharon Eaton copped an $800 fine in December for repeated cleanliness-related offences.

"It doesn’t matter what we’ll do, the health inspector passes something one visit and then jumps on something else the next," she said.

Inspectors slapped repeat offender Jeme’s Fish Market in Ashfield with a $880 fine in January for leaving fish hanging in a yard. A manager could not be reached.

The Liverpool Rd outlet was added to the Food Authority’s name and shame list in 2009 after crabs were found stored in the restaurant’s toilets. Then primary industries minister Ian Macdonald said at the time it was one of the "most outrageous cases of food storage" he had ever heard about.