Thursday 6^th April 

The Restaurants Association of Ireland today announced its Dublin region shortlist for the Irish Restaurant Awards 2023. Among the winners are the very best of restaurateurs, chefs and hospitality management in the Dublin area. 

The awards cover a wide range of venues, and the winners are selected from the following categories: Local Food Hero, Best Sustainable Practices, Best Free From, Best Emerging Irish Cuisine, Best Restaurant Manager, Best Wine Experience, Best Café, Best World Cuisine, Best Newcomer, Pub of the Year, Best Casual Dining, Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant, Best Customer Service, Best Gastropub, Best Chef, and Best Restaurant and finally a new award category for 2023 Innovator of the Year.   

Speaking about the awards, Paul Lenehan, President of the of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) said: 

“Now in their 14^th 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 over 130,000 nominations received from the public this year, the standard for the judging process was higher than ever. 

Although we are a small island, Ireland’s food & restaurants have a lot to offer from fine dining, to quality world cuisine and through to traditional Irish food.  We have an appreciation for what we eat, care about locally sourced produce, and want to celebrate the existing and up and coming talent in the sector – hospitality is truly nothing without our dedicated and passionate staff.” 

Dublin shortlist winners are as follows: 

Local Food Hero Sponsored By The Irish Times 

• Claire Mac Evilly, Airfield Estate 

• Andy Noonan, Big Grill  
• Gerry Godley, Breadman Walking  
• William Despard, Bretzel Bakery  
• Ian Ussher, Cluck Chicken 
• Dublin Food Co-op 

• Conor Sweeney, Leamhain Ice Cream  
• Jenny McNally, McNally Farms 
• Gaz Smith, Michael’s 
• Niall Sabongi, The Seafood Café 

Best Sustainable Practices Sponsored By Gas Networks Ireland 

• As One 
• BuJo 
• Elle’s Bistro at The Iveagh Garden Hotel 
• Fumbally Cafe 

• Honey Truffle 
• Kale + Coco 
• Overends Kitchen at Airfield Estate 
• Tang, Cumberland Place 
• V Face 

• Wren Urban Nest 

Innovator Of The Year Sponsored By Diageo 

• Big Mikes 

• Bites by Kwanghi 
• Daata Glasthule 
• Glas 
• Hyde Dublin 
• Mamó 

• Roly’s Bistro 
• Saba – Baggot Street 
• The Seafood Cafe 
• Together Academy 

Best Free From Sponsored By Restaurants Association of Ireland 

• Blazing Salads 
• Cedar Tree 
• Clanbrassil House 
• Cornucopia 

• Glas 
• Jaipur Dalkey 
• Kale + Coco 
• Kathmandu Kitchen – Dame Street 
• Nutbutter – Grand Canal 

• Shouk 

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine Sponsored By FBD Insurance 

• Bang 
• Clanbrassil House 

• Delahunt 
• Library Street 
• Locks 
• Mae 
• Margadh, RHA Gallery 

• Orwell Road 
• Spitalfields 
• The Commons 

Best Restaurant Manager Sponsored By Halcyon Group 

• Carmel Reilly, Bang  
• Cian Waters, La Maison 
• Kristina Gvazdaityte, Locks  
• Vincenzo Marrone, Nannetti’s 
• Andrew Scott, One Pico 

• Declan Maxwell, Spitalfields 
• John Healy, Suesey Street 
• Frederic Pelanne, The Ivy 
• Denise McBrien, The Old Spot 
• Cian Lynch, Uno Mas 

Best Wine Experience Sponsored By Bibendum Ireland 

• 64 Wine 
• Dunne and Crescenzi – Frederick St 
• Ely Wine Bar 

• Fallon & Byrne 
• Green Man Wines 
• La Cave  
• Mae 
• Note 

• Olesya’s Wine Bar & Bistro 
• Volpe Nera 

Best Café Sponsored By Illy 

• Baa Baa 

• Bread 41 
• Copper & Straw – Arran Quay 
• Dolce Sicily 
• Il Caffe Di Napoli – Westland Row 
• Kerb Foxrock 

• Phoenix Cafe 
• Social Fabric Cafe 
• The Vanilla Pod Blackrock 
• Tiller + Grain 

Best World Cuisine Sponsored By San Pellegrino 

• 3 Leaves  
• Ananda 
• Big Fan 
• China Sichuan 

• Korean Table 
• M&L Restaurant  
• Nan Chinese  
• Nightmarket 
• Pickle  

• Rasam 

Best Newcomer Sponsored By Square 

• Amuri  
• Aperitivo 

• Chequer Lane 
• Daata Glasthule  
• D’Olier Street 
• Hyde Dublin 
• Indo-Chine  

• Nan Chinese  
• Rasa Stepaside  
• Space Jaru 

Pub Of The Year Sponsored By Peroni 

• J O’Connell, Richmond Street 
• M O’Briens 
• McDaid’s 
• Mulligan’s Poolbeg Street 
• Neary’s 

• P Macs  
• Ryan’s of Parkgate Street 
• Strawberry Hall 
• Toners 
• Walsh’s Stoneybatter 

Best Casual Dining Sponsored By Musgrave Marketplace 

• Crudo 
• GiGi Ranelagh 
• Grano  

• Il Vicoletto 
• La Maison 
• Loretta’s 
• Nannetti’s 
• Osteria Lucio 

• The Little Kitchen  
• The Seafood Café 

Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant Sponsored By Frylite 

• Haddington House 

• The Alex Hotel 
• The Dylan  
• The Intercontinental Hotel 
• The Marker Hotel 
• The Mayson  

• The Merrion Hotel 
• The Shelbourne 
• The Westbury 
• The Westin 

Best Customer Service Sponsored By Restaurant-Insurance.ie Provided by Dolmen 

• Ananda 
• Big Mikes 
• Dax Restaurant 

• Etto 
• Guinea Pig Restaurant 
• Pearl Brasserie 
• Pichet 
• Roly’s Bistro 

• Saba – South William St 
• Trocadero 

Best Gastro Pub Sponsored By Worldpay by FIS 

• Café en Seine  

• Davy Byrnes  
• F.X. Buckley Monkstown 
• Johnnie Fox’s 
• Matt the Thresher 
• The Chophouse 

• The Old Spot 
• The Purty Kitchen 
• The Step Inn 
• Wrights Anglers Rest 

Best Chef Sponsored By BWG Food Service 

• Peter Byrne, Big Mikes 
• Mickael Viljanen, Chapter One 
• Rahat Saeed, Daata Glasthule  
• Graham Neville, Dax Restaurant 

• Kevin Burke, Library Street 
• Jimmy Wiley, Loretta’s 
• Grainne O’Keefe, Mae 
• Paul McNamara, Uno Mas 
• Keelan Higgs, Variety Jones 

• Barry Sun, Volpe Nera 

Best Restaurant Sponsored By San Miguel  

• Bastible 
• Chapter One 

• China Sichuan 
• Dax Restaurant 
• Forest Avenue 
• Liath 
• Library Street 

• Pearl Brasserie 
• Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud 
• Uno Mas 

Sponsors of this Year’s Irish Restaurant Awards: 

• Avonmore  
• Bibendum Ireland  
• BWG Foodservice  
• Diageo   
• FBD Insurance  

• Frylite  
• Gas Networks Ireland  
• Halcyon Group  
• Illy  
• IMRO  

• Irish Times  
• Monin  
• Musgrave Marketplace  
• Peninsula  
• Peroni Nastro Azzurro  

• Restaurant & Hospitality Skillnet   
• Restaurant-insurance.ie provided by Dolmen   
• San Miguel   
• San Pellegrino  
• Square  

• Wild Irish Game  
• Worldpay from FIS 

More information on the Irish Restaurant Awards: https://irishrestaurantawards.com/faqs/ 

Contact events@rai.ie     Phone: (01)6779901