Galway’s top restaurants were named this week in the regional finals of the Santa Rita/Sunday Independent Life magazine Irish Restaurant Awards, which took place in The House Hotel on Tuesday.
Renvyle House Hotel was the Galway recipient of the customer service award at the event, which also recognised restaurants, bars, and hotels in counties Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, and Leitrim. The Galway winner of the Gastropub Award, sponsored by Faustino, was the Pins Bar at the Twelve Hotel. Meanwhile the Galway Casual Dining Award, sponsored by Joseph Drouhin, went to Mulberry’s.
Ballynahinch Castle was named the best hotel restaurant in Galway at Tuesday’s event, while the Best Chef Award for Galway went to Regis Herviaux of the g Hotel. Artisan was named the best restaurant in Galway.
The regional award for wine experience went to West Restaurant at the Twelve Hotel.
Nominations for the awards were made by readers of the Sunday Independent Life magazine and members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland. All nominees were then assessed by regional judging panels of industry experts. The county winner in each category is determined from votes from the consumers, members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, and the regional judges, and results are independently assessed by KPMG.
“Since their inception, the Irish Restaurant Awards have cast a spotlight on Ireland’s hottest restaurants and chefs,” said Adrian Cummins of the Restaurants Association of Ireland at the awards. “They have become a byword for quality, class, and achievement, the awards everyone wants to win. As a testament to their success, the entries have doubled since last year, with 5,000 nominations made for Ireland’s favourite restaurants, chefs, gastropubs, hotel restaurants, and local food heroes throughout the country.
“We celebrate the award winning cuisines and the great restaurateurs and chefs who have brought international recognition and accolades to the Irish restaurant scene,” he added. “We are the economic engine rooms in every town in Ireland, creating and maintaining much needed local employment. Our industry has annual sales in excess of €2 billion and we employ 64,000 people. In fact, we are the largest employer within the Irish tourism sector.”
All county winners will now compete for the regional and All Ireland titles which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin, on Wednesday May 14. For more information visit www.irishrestaurantawards.com
