- Overall (Best Restaurant): Bramley, Abbeyleix. An acclaimed fine-dining restaurant in Abbeyleix, celebrated for its exceptional modern Irish cuisine, creative dishes, and outstanding service. It consistently earns top honours, including previous recognition as Overall Restaurant of the Year in regional hospitality awards, and stands out as a premier dining destination in Laois.
- Café: Mueller & O’Connell Bakery, Abbeyleix. A small artisan bakery and café in Abbeyleix, specialising in sourdough breads, fresh pastries, and quality coffee since opening in 2017. It has won multiple awards for its baked goods (including Blas na h√âireann golds) and is praised for its welcoming atmosphere and high standards in daytime café offerings.
- Casual Dining: Bowe’s Foodhall & Café, Durrow. A popular foodhall and café in Durrow, offering casual, hearty meals with a focus on fresh, local ingredients. Known for its relaxed setting, excellent breakfasts, lunches, and baked goods, it provides a community-oriented spot for everyday dining with consistent quality and value.
- Chef: Richard Picard-Edwards, Ballyfin Demesne: Executive chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant in the luxurious Ballyfin Demesne estate. Renowned for his masterful use of estate-grown and local seasonal produce, he crafts refined, balanced modern Irish dishes with exceptional technique, contributing to the venue’s ongoing prestige and accolades.
- Contemporary Irish Cuisine: Ballyfin Demesne. The Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant at the historic Ballyfin Demesne, a grand Regency-era estate in Laois. It offers elegant, estate-inspired contemporary Irish cuisine using hyper-local ingredients from its 614-acre grounds, delivered in opulent surroundings with impeccable service and a focus on purity and seasonality.
- Customer Service: Treacy’s Bar and Restaurant, the Heath. A family-run bar and restaurant in The Heath, near Portlaoise, recognised for its warm, attentive hospitality and customer-focused approach. It excels in creating a welcoming environment, with staff dedication enhancing the enjoyable pub dining and community atmosphere.
- Employee Excellence Award: Orla Maher, Morrissey’s Pub Abbeyleix: Orla Maher was honoured for her outstanding dedication and performance at Morrissey’s Pub in Abbeyleix. This award highlights her exceptional contributions, likely through exemplary service, enthusiasm, and positive impact on the team and customers in this popular local venue.
- Gastro Pub: O’Gorman’s Bar & Restaurant, Portlaoise. A family-run gastro pub in Portlaoise, known for its high-quality homemade food served daily from breakfast through evening meals, alongside a full bar and takeaway options. It combines traditional Irish pub warmth with elevated dining, outdoor seating, and a reputation for excellent value, service, and local popularity
- Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant: Ballyfin Demesne. The Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant at the magnificent Ballyfin Demesne, a restored Regency-era estate near Mountrath. It provides an exquisite, immersive experience with contemporary Irish cuisine featuring hyper-local, estate-grown ingredients in lavish surroundings, paired with impeccable service and a focus on seasonal elegance.
- Innovator of the Year: The Merry Mill, Portlaoise. A family-run organic farm and mill in Vicarstown near Portlaoise, specialising in premium gluten-free oats, flours, and produce grown and processed on-site. It was recognised for its innovative, sustainable approach to organic farming, raw milling, and delivering high-quality, health-focused products with full traceability from field to consumer.
- Local Food Hero: Cormac & Tracy Loonam, The Red Shed, Portarlington: Cormac and Tracy Loonam of The Red Shed Organic Farm and Nursery in Portarlington, passionate organic growers producing seasonal vegetables, fruits, and nursery plants to the highest standards. They were honoured for their dedication to ethical, sustainable farming, supplying fresh, high-quality local produce and championing organic practices in the community.
- Newcomer: Coffee to a Tea, Urlingford. A welcoming new café on Main Street in Urlingford (bordering Laois), offering great coffee, teas, toasties, a√ßai bowls, oats, cookies, milkshakes, and light snacks with an emphasis on local suppliers and seasonal specials. It has quickly become a favourite for its friendly vibe, quality offerings, and options like catering and outdoor seating.
- Pub of the Year: The Fisherman’s Thatched Inn, Ballybrittas. A charming, traditional thatched-roof pub in Fisherstown, Ballybrittas-one of Ireland’s few remaining authentic thatched inns. It offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere with classic pub hospitality, drinks, food, and a riverside setting, celebrated for its heritage charm, family-run service, and community appeal.
- Restaurant Manager: Carmel Boyle, Ballyfin Demesne: Carmel Boyle, the restaurant manager at the Michelin-starred dining room in Ballyfin Demesne. She was recognised for her exceptional leadership, attention to detail, and commitment to delivering flawless, high-end guest experiences in this prestigious, opulent venue.
- Sustainable Practices: Solas Eco Garden Centre, Portarlington: Ireland’s first eco garden centre in Portarlington, built largely from recycled shipping containers on a former industrial site. It earned the award for its comprehensive sustainable ethos, including solar power, native planting, wildflower meadows, porous parking, recycled materials throughout, and a focus on green gardening, events, and food in an environmentally conscious campus.
- Use of Social Media: Make and Mark, Fairgeen. A popular restaurant and bar in Clonreher, Fairgreen, Portlaoise, known for its exceptional dining, premium drinks, and lively atmosphere (including live DJs). It was highlighted for its engaging social media presence that effectively promotes its menu, events, and welcoming vibe to build community and attract visitors.
- Wine Experience: Baton√≠s, Emo. A multi-award-winning Italian restaurant (Batoni’s at the Gatehouse) in Killimy, Emo, near Emo Court. It offers authentic Italian cooking with pizzas, pastas, seasonal dishes, and homemade desserts, complemented by a strong wine selection that enhances its refined yet approachable dining experience in a picturesque location.
- World Cuisine: Namo, Portlaoise shopping centre. A vibrant Tex-Mex and global-inspired spot in Laois Shopping Centre, Portlaoise, specialising in burritos, bowls, tacos, bubble tea, lemonades, iced coffees, and other fresh, flavourful options. It brings bold, craveable world flavours (with a fun, modern twist) to the area, earning praise for its generous portions and lively appeal.
Restaurant awards
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow – Overall – County winners – Good Food Ireland – Michelin Star
Dining
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
2026 Irish Restaurant awards by county:
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
2025 Irish Restaurant awards by county:
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
2024 Irish Restaurant awards by county:
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
Ireland’s County Laois:
Laois offers a blend of historic sites and natural landscapes, with the Rock of Dunamase providing panoramic views from its ancient castle ruins. Emo Court’s elegant Georgian mansion and gardens offer a peaceful retreat, while the Slieve Bloom Mountains provide hiking trails through rolling hills. Laois is Ireland’s ninth smallest county by size (1,719 square km) and tenth smallest by population (91,877). Population peaked at 153,930 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 44,595 in 1966. In terms of hospitality, Laois is Ireland’s 27th most visited tourist county with around 52,000 international visitors per year.
Introduction – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Breweries & Distilleries – Camping – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Gardens – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted– Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells – Hotels – Hotels top 8 – Hunting & shooting – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury– MICE – Movies – Music – Name – New – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Sacred Places – Saints – Songs – Spas – Sports – Sunsets – Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist –Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers – 1837 – 1846 – 1852 – 1909 – 1955 – 1980 –
