Offaly restaurant award winners are announced

Winners of Offaly restaurant awards were announced at the The Leinster Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards which took place last night.

All of the Offaly winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Titles, which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards. These will be held in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin on Monday, May 18.

The Offaly winners are:

Best Restaurant - The Blue Apron Restaurant

Best Chef - Kenan Pehlivan of The Blue Apron Restaurant

Best Newcomer - Conway & Co

Best Restaurant Manager - Paula Moran-Tahraoui of Sirocco's

Best Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant - Slí Dala Restaurant at Kinnitty Castle

Best Customer Service - Lana Asian Street Food Tullamore

Best Gastro Pub - Hennessy's

Best Cafe - The Foxy Bean

Pub of the Year - The Chestnut

Best Wine Experience- Spinners on Castle Street

Best World Cuisine - Shishir

Best “Free From” - Woodfield Café

Best Kids Size Me - The King Oak

Best Local Food Hero - Margaret Deverell of Hereford & More

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine - Woodfield Café

Best Casual Dining - The Brewery Tap


Speaking at the awards, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said: “Now in their 12th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to showcase the incredible food that is on offer in the cafes, pubs and restaurants of Ireland, as well as recognising the teams behind these establishments and the hard work and dedication that they put in. With well over 100,000 nominations received from the public this year, the standard for the judging process was higher than ever.

Ireland may be a small country, but it boasts everything from fine dining to high quality gastropubs, from the comfort of traditional Irish food to exploring the world though exotic world cuisine, the Irish restaurant industry has much to offer. We have an appreciation for what we eat and where our food comes from, as well as the dedication of those working in the food industry”.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland also thanks their sponsors for this year's Irish Restaurant Awards:

The Irish Times, Tindal Wine Merchants, BWG Foodservice, Elavon, Dolmen Insurance Brokers, Frylite, Just Eat, Jameson Ginger & Lime, Monin, Stafford Lynch - San Pellegrino, Peroni Libera, Illy, Gilbeys with Bibendum, AIB Merchant Services and Manor Farm.