{"id":491643,"date":"2026-05-19T02:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/491643\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T02:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:51:11","slug":"winners-of-the-2026-irish-restaurant-awards-revealed-the-best-restaurant-chef-newcomer-and-more-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/491643\/","title":{"rendered":"Winners of the 2026 Irish Restaurant Awards revealed: The best restaurant, chef, newcomer and more \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michelin<\/a>-starred restaurants<\/a> led the honours at the Irish Restaurant Awards on Monday night as Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud<\/a> was named best restaurant in Ireland, and chef Ahmet Dede<\/a> of Dede at The Customs House Baltimore received the award for best chef.<\/p>\n

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud was established in 1981, and became the first Irish restaurant to hold two Michelin stars in 1996. Located in The Merrion Hotel at 21 Upper Merrion Street, it has retained its two-star status since it was first awarded three decades ago. <\/p>\n

Chef Ahmed Dede won the Irish Restaurant Awards\u2019 best restaurant category for the last two years, and this year was honoured as best chef. Dede opened in Baltimore in 2020 during the pandemic, and within a year gained a Michelin star<\/a>. It added a second star in 2023<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Paul and M\u00e1ire Flynn of The Tannery Restaurant, Townhouse and Cookery School were presented with an outstanding achievement award. In February, the Flynns announced they will be closing<\/a> the popular Dungarvan restaurant at the end of 2026 after nearly 30 years in business. <\/p>\n

The awards ceremony welcomed 1,000 of the country\u2019s top industry professionals at Dublin\u2019s Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road where funds were raised throughout the evening in support of The Jack and Jill Children\u2019s Foundation. <\/p>\n

Dublin-based Comet, an eatery where the food was described by Irish Times\u2019 restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave as \u201cthe work of a skilled mature chef\u201d<\/a>, took home the award for best newcomer.<\/p>\n

Pub of the year went to The Cobblestone, a celebrated traditional music venue in Dublin which was the subject of a Save the Cobblestone campaign in 2021 following a proposal to develop a nine-storey hotel around the Smithfield pub. <\/p>\n

The award for best casual restaurant went to Farmgate in Lismore<\/a>, while the best gastropub award went to Coyne\u2019s Gastropub & Pantry, located in the Connemara Gaeltacht in Galway. <\/p>\n

This year\u2019s awards received 150,000 public nominations for restaurants, cafes and hospitality venues across Ireland, which were submitted by the public through The Irish Times website, media partner of the awards.<\/p>\n

In advance of the All-Ireland final, regional awards ceremonies took place across the four provinces, with winners recognised across a wide range of categories. Those winners then progressed to the national final.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the awards ceremony in Dublin\u2019s Burlington Hotel on Monday night, Se\u00e1n Collender, president of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said that the awards were \u201ca celebration of the people who make Ireland\u2019s hospitality industry one of the most vibrant and exciting sectors in the country\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cGordon Ramsay recently described Ireland as the sleeping giant of European cuisine,\u201d Collender said. \u201cWell, that giant is awakening and tonight is proof of that. Across every county we are seeing incredible creativity, quality and ambition in our restaurants and hospitality businesses\u201d. <\/p>\n

Irish Restaurant Awards 2026: The winnersBest Restaurant<\/p>\n