West Cork firms taste success at restaurant awards

RESTAURANTS in West Cork enjoyed success at the Irish Restaurant Awards Munster Regional Finals.

The awards took place  in the Great Southern Hotel, in Kerry, with county winners chosen from across Munster.

This year’s Irish Restaurant Awards received more than 160,000 public nominations for restaurants, cafés and other food services establishments across the country – the highest number yet.

Dede at the Custom House in Baltimore was named Cork’s best restaurant.

The Garnish Restaurant at Eccles Hotel & Spa Glengarriff was named best contemporary Irish cuisine.

Hamlets in  Kinsale was named best gastropub while Levis Corner House in Ballydehob was named Cork’s pub of the year.

Levis Corner House in Ballydehob was named Cork’s pub of the year.

Kinsale had further success with Helen Noonan of Bastion winning the county award for  best restaurant manager.

The All-Ireland winners will be revealed at a gala dinner at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road in Dublin next month, once all regional events have been completed and county winners announced.

‘In these challenging times for our industry, it’s more important than ever to celebrate the resilience and innovation of Munster’s food and hospitality sector. The Munster Regional Irish Restaurant Awards provide an excellent platform to recognise the hard work and dedication of all of the talented restaurant, café, and food-led hospitality staff in the province,’ said Restaurants Association of Ireland president Paul Lenehan.