Eight Galway restaurants are among those shortlisted for the prestigious Food & Wine Magazine Restaurant of the Year Awards.
Now in its 16th year, The Food and Wine Magazine Restaurant of the Year Awards in association with Nespresso Business Solutions, are considered the most prestigious and authoritative culinary awards in the Irish calendar.
Among those shortlisted for Best Restaurant in the Connacht region were Aniar, Ballynahinch Castle in Connemara, Kai, Loam, Oscar's Seafood Bistro, and Renvyle House Hotel.
These also featured in the Best Chef Shortlist for Connacht, which includes Enda McEvoy of Loam, Jess Murphy of Kai, Jp McMahon of Aniar, Michael O'Meara of Oscar's Seafood Bistro, Tim O'Sullivan of Renvyle House Hotel, and Ultan Cooke of Ballynahinch Castle.
The Twelve in Barna has been shortlisted for Best Wine Experience in the awards, with The Twelve's resident sommelier Fergus O'Halloran included in the Best Sommelier shortlist. Kai restaurant is also among the top 10 nationally for Best Service.
"Once again, we had an embarrassment of riches to choose from on judging day," said Miriam Atkins, editor of Food and Wine magazine. "There is real excitement across the restaurant scene in Ireland at the moment, with chefs working hard to create menus that celebrate seasonal, high quality ingredients. Our top 10 list for each region represents the cream of the crop and all of those restaurants and chefs who feature should be commended.”
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Dublin at the end of the month.
