The finals of the Irish Restaurant Awards took place in the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road on the night of Monday May 15. Awards were received from 21 categories that included all areas of the sector.
On the night, Liam Edwards, president of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, spoke about the resilience of the industry, saying, “As an industry, the restaurateurs, pub-owners and entrepreneurs of Ireland continue to defy the odds. You strive to create jobs, expand upon Ireland’s understanding of food standards and world cuisine, all while maintaining exemplary customer service. Your support of Irish produce has never been greater and for this you should be wholeheartedly applauded.”
Dublin's Etto restaurant took home the award for "All-Ireland Best Restaurant 2018". Etto offers a daily changing, seasonal menu and its staff describes the venue's dishes as being honest and simple, using ingredients from local producers and suppliers where possible. Meanwhile, The Legal Eagle of Innes Quay, Dublin, was declared the country's "Best Gastro Pub" and the "All-Ireland Best Chef" winner was announced as Jess Murphy from Kai Restaurant in Galway, with the judges being impressed by her commitment to high-quality, local produce.
Speaking at the event, chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins commented, “On our tenth anniversary of the Irish Restaurant Awards, I’m delighted to report that this has been our most successful year to-date. These Awards are the accolades of the Irish restaurant industry and they celebrate only the very best that this country has to offer. From over 90,000 online nominations cast earlier this year to 3,000 guests attending our regional events, it is clear that the stature, calibre and reputation of the awards is expanding at a considerable rate and it is all in aid of highlighting the talent within our sector. All winners and finalists here tonight are utterly deserving of the recognition they have received.”
© 2018 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
