The Leinster Regional Final of the Irish Restaurant Awards took place in the Knightsbrook Hotel last night where the top restaurants in each county for 2020 were announced.
Establishments in Portlaoise, Mountrath, Emo, Durrow, Borris-In-Ossory and The Heath received awards in a range of different categories.
Batonis of Emo were the big winners on the night as they scooped two awards while seven of the 15 awards came back to establishments in Portlaoise.
Batoni’s was named Best Restaurant once again, Bob’s Bar in Durrow was crowned Pub of the Year while Bow’s Foodhall and Cafe in Durrow is the Best Cafe.
Over 700 restaurant owners and staff celebrated their hard work and achievements at the Awards, which saw many well-known restaurateurs of Leinster turn out to see if they had won one of the prestigious awards.
Speaking at the awards early this evening, 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.”
Food outlets were nominated under the categories of Best Customer Service, Best Café, Best Gastro Pub, Best ‘Free From’, Best Casual Dining, Best World Cuisine, Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant, Best Chef, Best Restaurant, Best Wine Experience, Pub of the Year, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Kids Size Me, Local Food Hero, Best Emerging Irish Cuisine and Best Newcomer.
All of the Laois 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 18th May, 2020.
Check out all the winners below:
Best Restaurant – Laois – Batoni’s (Emo)
Best Chef – Padraic Flynn of Roundwood House (Mountrath)
Best Newcomer – Croft Alley (Portlaoise)
Best Restaurant Manager – Ailish McCoy of Tommy’s Loft (Borris-In-Ossory)
Best Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant – Castle Durrow (Durrow)
Best Customer Service – Indian Prince Restaurant (Portlaoise)
Best Gastro Pub – The Bog Road (Portlaoise)
Best Cafe – Bowe’s Foodhall and Café (Durrow)
Pub of the Year – Bob’s Bar (Durrow)
Best Wine Experience – Batoni’s (Emo)
Best World Cuisine – Mayur Indian Restaurant (Portlaoise)
Best “Free From” – The Pantry Portlaoise (Portlaoise)
Best Kids Size Me – Treacy’s Bar & Restaurant (The Heath)
Best Local Food Hero – Blathnaid Bergin of The Restaurant Advisor
Best Emerging Irish Cuisine – O’Gormans Bar and Restaurant (Portlaoise)
Best Casual Dining – Kelly’s Steakhouse at Midlands Park Hotel (Portlaoise)
SEE ALSO: Nominations sought to recognise and award good environmental practices on the farm
