- Overall Winner: Noble, Holywood, A bustling neighbourhood restaurant in Holywood offering exceptional contemporary dining with a focus on local ingredients and bold flavours.
- Café: Lynchpin, Holywood, A popular spot in Holywood renowned for its excellent coffee, fresh bakes, and welcoming atmosphere.
- Casual Dining: Frae, Holywood, A relaxed eatery in Holywood specialising in high-quality casual fare, known for its innovative approach and fresh seasonal dishes.
- Chef: Shaun Tinman of Frae, Holywood, An acclaimed chef recognised for his creative contemporary cooking and dedication to local produce in a casual setting.
Georgina Campbell Awards
- Neighbourhood Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Wine and Brine, Moira, A stylish and welcoming restaurant in the heart of Moira village, celebrated for its modern seasonal cooking, pickling, fermenting, and a decade of community success.
Good Food Ireland Awards
- Finalist, Restaurant of the Year: Underground Dining, Bangor, An acclaimed venue in Bangor noted for exceptional culinary experiences using high-quality Irish ingredients (joint overall winners were elsewhere, but this was a strong finalist from County Down).
- Food Lovers’ Choice Award: Underground Dining, Bangor, Voted by the public as a favourite food and drink experience in the region for its outstanding offerings.
Michelin Guide
- Bib Gourmand: Noble, Holywood, A neighbourhood favourite offering excellent value with high-quality, flavourful dishes in a lively setting.
- Bib Gourmand: Wine and Brine, Moira, Known for bold, seasonal cooking with creative techniques like pickling and fermenting in a charming village location.
- Recommended: Bucks Head, Dundrum, A revamped historic pub serving proudly Irish cuisine with generous dishes, highlighted for its signature seafood chowder using local produce like Mourne lamb and Kilkeel crab.
Restaurants Association awards: full list
The Ulster awards ceremony took place on Tuesday 1st April, Hillgrove Hotel, Old Armagh Road, County Monaghan
- Overall: Noble, Hollywood
- Café: Lynchpin Holywood
- Casual Dining: Frae
- Chef: Alex Greene of The Bucks Head
- Contemporary Irish Cuisine: No 14 Georgian House
- Customer Service: Noble
- Employee Excellence Award: Curtis Hunter of The Dirty Duck Alehouse
- Gastro Pub: The Poacher’s Pocket
- Hotel and Guesthouse Restaurant: Newforge House
- Innovator: The Café at Camphill Community Mourne Grange
- Local Food Hero: Johnny McDowell, Indie Fude
- Newcomer: The Posh Pig
- Pub: The Cable Bar
- Restaurant Manager: Saul McConnell of Noble
- Sustainable Practices: Fodder at Finnebrogue Woods
- Use of Social Media: Underground Dining
- Wine Experience: Holywood Wine Bar
- World Cuisine: Kamakura
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
2025 Restaurants Association of Ireland 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 Restaurants Association of Ireland 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
Down
Down offers a mix of historic sites and scenic landscapes, with Downpatrick’s Saint Patrick Centre and cathedral providing insights into Ireland’s patron saint. The Mourne Mountains offer hiking trails with sweeping views, while Strangford Lough provides kayaking and wildlife spotting. Other attractions include the historic Tollymore Forest Park. Down is Ireland’s 12th largest county by size (2,447 square km) and fourth largest by population (553,261). Population peaked at 361,446 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 204,303, in 1911. In terms of hospitality, Down is Ireland’s 18th most visited tourist county with around 127,000 international visitors per year.
Introduction – Adventure – Anthem – Archaeology – Attractions – Awards – Birdwatching – Camping – Castles – Churches – Contact list – Cycling – Dining – Equestrian – Festivals – Fishing – Folklore – Gardens – Golf – Graveyards – Happening – Haunted – Highest – Hiking – History – Holy Wells – Hotels – Hotels8 – Instagrammable – Itineraries – Largest town – Luxury – MICE – Movies – Musicians – New – Name – Novelists – Off the beaten track – Poets – Pubs – Quotes – Random Facts – Restaurant Awards – Sacred Places – Saints – Spas – Sports – Sunsets– Sustainable – Things to do – Towns – Video – Villages – Walking – Wanderlist – Weddings – Wild swimming – Writers – 1837 – 1846 – 1852 – 1909 – 1955 – 1980 –
