Cork businesses take home honours from Munster restaurant awards

SEVENTEEN Cork restaurants and cafes have been named category winners in this year’s Irish Restaurant Awards Munster regional final.

Almost 700 attended the regional final which took place in the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry.

This year’s Irish Restaurant Awards received more than 160,000 public nominations for restaurants, cafes, and other establishments nationwide, the highest number of nominations made to date.

Local Food Hero

Jack McCarthy of McCarthy’s of Kanturk was named the Cork winner of the Local Food Hero category, while Innovator of the Year went to Rare 1784 in Kinsale. Ballymaloe Hotel and Restaurant was named the Cork winner of the Best Sustainable Practices category and Ichigo Ichie was the Cork winner of the Best World Cuisine category.

Greenwich in Cork city was named the Cork winner of the Best Café category and Da Mirco Osteria Italian Restaurant was named Best Customer Service.

Arthur Mayne’s Pharmacy was named the Cork winner of the Best Wine Experience category and The Garnish Restaurant at Eccles Hotel & Spa Glengarriff was named the Cork winner of the Best Contemporary Irish Cuisine category.

Church Lane in Midleton was named Best Newcomer, Hamlets Bar + Kitchen Kinsale was named Best Gastropub, Elbow Lane Brew and Smokehouse was named Best Casual Dining, Levis Corner House was named Pub of the Year, Terre Restaurant was named Best Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant and Dede at the Custom House Baltimore was named Best Restaurant.

Gerard Roche of the Cove Restaurant at Fota Island Resort won the Employee Excellence Award, Helen Noonan of Bastion won Best Restaurant Manager and Aishling Moore of Goldie won Best Chef.

Challenging Times

Restaurants Association of Ireland president Paul Lenehan said: “In these challenging times for our industry, it’s more important than ever to celebrate the resilience and innovation of Munster’s food and hospitality sector. The Munster Regional Irish Restaurant Awards provide an excellent platform to recognise the hard work and dedication of all of the talented restaurant, cafe, and food-led hospitality staff in the province.”

Once all regional events have taken place and county winners announced, regional and All-Ireland winners will be revealed at the All-Ireland Awards at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road in Dublin on May 4.