Patrick Guilbaud wins back 2026 All Ireland restaurant title from Chapter One

The All-Ireland Final of the 2026 Irish Restaurant Awards took place at the Clayton Hotel.
Over 150,000 nominations were received from the public.
Regional winners from Leinster, Munster, Connaught and Ulster competed at the national final.
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud received the Best Restaurant award.
Ahmet Dede secured the Best Chef title.

The Irish Restaurant Awards have recognised Ireland’s leading hospitality businesses and professionals at the All-Ireland Final held at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road. Over 150,000 public nominations came in for the 2026 edition of the awards. Regional ceremonies across the four provinces selected winners who then advanced to the national final.

More than 1,000 chefs, restaurateurs, managers and staff attended the ceremony last night. The event marked the 17th year of the awards programme. Winners included Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud as Best Restaurant and Ahmet Dede as Best Chef.

The awards celebrated excellence across multiple categories including gastro pubs, cafes and sustainable practices. Winners progressed from county and regional levels. The public submitted nominations via The Irish Times website.

All Ireland Winners by Category:

Overall: Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud
Cafe: General Merchants
Casual Dining: Farmgate
Chef: Ahmet Dede, Dede at The Customs House Baltimore
Cocktail Experience: Roge Austin, Vintage Cocktail Club
Contemporary Irish Cuisine: Solas Tapas & Wine
Cookery School: Picado Mexican Pantry
Customer Service: Frae
Employee Excellence Award: Theresa Donlon, Hester’s Golden Eagle Bar and Restaurant
Food Truck: Misunderstood Heron
Gastro Pub: Coyne’s Gastropub & Pantry
Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant: Rare at Blue Haven Hotel
Innovator: Mr Fox Whiskey
Learning and Development: Tifco Hotel Group
Local Food Hero: Eunice Power, Waterford Festival of Food
Newcomer: Comet
Outstanding Achievement Award: Paul and Máire Flynn, The Tannery Restaurant, Townhouse and Cookery School
Pub: The Cobblestone
Restaurant Manager: Carmel Boyle, Ballyfin Demesne
Sustainable Practices: Kai
Use of Social Media: The Dough Bros – Galway
Wine Experience: 64 Wine
World Cuisine: Miyazaki

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud (Overall/All Ireland winner): Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud serves modern French cuisine with classical roots using the best Irish produce. It holds two Michelin stars and features an elegant Georgian townhouse setting. 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2, D02 KF79. Executive Chef Guillaume Lebrun.
64 Wine (Wine Experience): 64 Wine combines an extensive wine list with modern international dining in a neighbourhood restaurant setting, offering over 1,700 wines with a strong emphasis on natural and biodynamic selections. 64 Glasthule Road, Glasthule, Co. Dublin, A96 TH22.
Ahmet Dede, Dede at The Customs House Baltimore (Chef): Dede at The Customs House delivers Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine with local Irish produce in an intimate coastal setting. The restaurant holds two Michelin stars. Customs House, Baltimore, Co. Cork, P81 K291.
Carmel Boyle, Ballyfin Demesne (Restaurant Manager): Ballyfin Demesne operates as a luxury 5-star country house hotel with fine dining that showcases Irish produce in an elegant restored setting. Ballyfin, Co. Laois.
Comet (Newcomer): Comet functions as a modern bistro that focuses on seasonal Irish ingredients with skilled, refined cooking in a relaxed setting. It opened in 2025 and quickly gained recognition. 3 Joshua Lane, Dublin 2, D02 C856. Kevin O’Donnell and Laura Chabal.
Coyne’s Gastropub & Pantry (Gastro Pub): Coyne’s Gastropub & Pantry occupies a historic building from 1840 in the Connemara Gaeltacht. It offers gastro pub fare alongside an artisan pantry. Kilkieran (Cill Chiaráin), Connemara, Co. Galway.
Eunice Power, Waterford Festival of Food (Local Food Hero): Eunice Power works as a TV chef, author, broadcaster and entrepreneur. She serves as CEO of the Waterford Festival of Food and promotes Irish food and producers through events, catering and her work with local ingredients.Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
Farmgate (Casual Dining): Farmgate Café sits within Cork’s English Market and serves simple regional Irish dishes with ingredients sourced directly from the market stalls below. It bakes its own soda bread and scones daily. English Market, Princes Street, Cork, T12 XFN3.
Frae (Customer Service): Frae operates as a neighbourhood wine bar and dining room serving locally sourced seasonal plates with an ever-changing natural wine list in a relaxed setting. 93 High Street, Holywood, Co. Down, BT18 9AQ.
General Merchants (Cafe): General Merchants operates as a neighbourhood eatery known for fine coffee and Antipodean-style brunches across multiple locations in Belfast. It offers a casual setting with quality provisions. Multiple locations including Antrim Road, Belfast.
Kai (Sustainable Practices): Kai specialises in modern seasonal cuisine using local, organic and wild Irish ingredients in a relaxed neighbourhood setting. It holds a Michelin Green Star for its strong sustainability practices. 22 Sea Road, Galway, H91 DX47. Jess Murphy.
Misunderstood Heron (Food Truck): Misunderstood Heron is an outdoor eatery and food truck serving bold, seasonal dishes with the best local west of Ireland produce, including fresh seafood near Croagh Patrick. Murrisk / near Westport, Co. Mayo.
Miyazaki (World Cuisine): Miyazaki offers authentic Japanese cuisine with high-quality ingredients in Cork. It has earned multiple national awards including All Ireland Best World Cuisine. Cork city centre. Takashi Miyazaki.
Mr Fox Whiskey (Innovator): Mr Fox is an innovative Irish whiskey brand that offers expressions in convenient formats alongside traditional bottles with a focus on Irish heritage.
Paul and Máire Flynn, The Tannery Restaurant, Townhouse and Cookery School (Outstanding Achievement Award): The Tannery Restaurant delivers modern Irish cuisine with strong emphasis on local and seasonal produce. It operated for nearly 30 years alongside a townhouse and cookery school in Dungarvan. 10 Quay Street, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Paul Flynn and Máire Flynn.
Picado Mexican Pantry (Cookery School): Picado Mexican Pantry functions as Ireland’s leading Mexican grocer and cookery school. It offers hands-on classes on authentic Mexican cooking techniques and ingredients. Locations in Portobello and The Liberties, Dublin.
Rare at Blue Haven Hotel (Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant): Rare provides fine dining with innovative menus focused on local Kinsale produce and coastal ingredients in the boutique hotel setting. 3/4 Pearse Street, Blue Haven Hotel, Kinsale, Co. Cork. Meeran Manzoor.
Roge Austin, Vintage Cocktail Club (Cocktail Experience): Vintage Cocktail Club specialises in expertly crafted cocktails in a stylish Dublin venue with a focus on classic and innovative mixes. Dublin city centre (exact location in Temple Bar area).
Solas Tapas & Wine (Contemporary Irish Cuisine): Solas Tapas & Wine serves small to medium plates of local Irish produce with Mediterranean influences in a relaxed setting in the heart of Dingle. Unit 1, Strand Street, Dingle, Co. Kerry.
The Cobblestone (Pub): The Cobblestone serves as a traditional Irish pub and renowned live music venue with a strong focus on traditional Irish sessions and culture in a historic setting. 77 King Street North, Smithfield, Dublin 7, D07 TP22.
The Dough Bros – Galway (Use of Social Media): The Dough Bros produces Neapolitan-style pizzas with Irish twists and local ingredients. It operates in a lively beer garden setting and maintains a strong social media presence. Cathedral Buildings, Middle Street, Galway, H91 ERD1.
Theresa Donlon, Hester’s Golden Eagle Bar and Restaurant (Employee Excellence Award): Hester’s Golden Eagle Bar and Restaurant combines a traditional pub with quality food offerings in a welcoming community setting. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon.
Tifco Hotel Group (Learning and Development): Tifco Hotel Group operates as one of Ireland’s largest hotel groups with nearly 3,000 bedrooms across branded and independent properties. It supports comprehensive staff training and development programmes.

Connacht Provincial winners by Category:

Overall: The Cottage Restaurant
Cafe: Baker 51
Casual Dining: Mitchell’s Restaurant
Chef: Dave Mullan, Fish & Bean
Contemporary Irish Cuisine: Blackthorn at The Twelve Hotel
Customer Service: Harrisons Bar & Restaurant
Employee Excellence Award: Theresa Donlon, Hester’s Golden Eagle Bar and Restaurant
Gastro Pub: Coyne’s Gastropub & Pantry
Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant: The Lodge at Ashford Castle
Innovator: Builín Blasta Cafe & Bakery
Local Food Hero: Cillian Ó Móráin and Naomi Clarkin, Mescan Brewery
Newcomer: Fawn Food & Wine
Pub: McDonnells Bar
Restaurant Manager: Lorraine McHugh, The Selkie
Sustainable Practices: Kai
Use of Social Media: The Dough Bros – Galway
Wine Experience: Daróg Wine Bar
World Cuisine: Kombu – Ramen & Bao Bar