Olivia O'SullivanThe second of four regional finals in this year’s Irish Restaurant Awards took place last night March 21 where 91 awards were presented to the country’s leading chefs, restaurants and pubs. Over 500 people attended the Munster Regional Final where the top establishments in each county were named.
The awards covered a wide range of venues and the winners from each of Munster’s six counties were selected from the following categories: Best Casual Dining, Best Emerging Irish Cuisine, Best Kids Size Me, Best ‘Free From’, Best World Cuisine, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Wine Experience, Pub of the Year, Best Café, Best Customer Service, Best Gastro Pub, Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant, Best Newcomer, Best Chef and Best Restaurant. There was also a special Regional award for Munster’s Local Food Hero.
Limerick Winners Are As Follows:
- Best Casual Dining sponsored by San Pellegrino – The Buttery
- Best Emerging Irish Cuisine sponsored by Odaios Foods – 1826 Adare
- Best Kids Size Me sponsored by Dubliner Cheese – Kyoto
- Best ‘Free From’ sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro Gluten Free – Cornstore Limerick
- Best World Cuisine sponsored by Aryzta – La Cucina Centro
- Best Restaurant Manager sponsored by AIB Merchant Services – John Edward Joyce of The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge
- Best Wine Experience sponsored by Classic Drinks – House Limerick
- Pub of the Year sponsored by Bushmills – Flannerys Bar Limerick
- Best Café sponsored by Illy – Jack Mondays Coffee House
- Best Customer Service – The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge
- Best Gastro Pub sponsored by Coca Cola & Schweppes – Curragower Pub
- Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant sponsored by BWG Foodservice – The River Restaurant at the Limerick Strand Hotel
- Best Newcomer sponsored by Elavon – The Silver Room Restaurant
- Best Chef sponsored by Nisbets – Tom Flavin of the Limerick Strand Hotel
- Best Restaurant sponsored by Tindal Wines – 1826 Adare
Speaking at the awards, Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) said: “Now in their tenth year, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to showcase the exquisite and admirable calibre of food available in our restaurants and pubs nationwide. Online nominations have increased from 9,000 in 2013 to over 80,000 this year and with the increase in interest comes an increase in standards, making the judging process more difficult than ever.
“Our small island boasts everything from fine dining to high quality gastropubs, from the exotic taste explosions of world cuisine to the comfort of traditional dishes. We have an appreciation for what we eat, for the journey of our food from farm to fork, and for the dedication of those working in the food industry to serve up Ireland’s finest food.”
By Olivia O’Sullivan (from press release)