Sligo eateries honoured at awards
SLIGO’S finest eateries were honoured at the regional finals of the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Radisson Blu.
Over 500 people attended the Connaught Regional Awards on Tuesday evening where the top establishments in each county were named. The ceremony included six regional titles including: Best Café; Best Emerging Irish Cuisine; Best Kids Size Me; Best Restaurant Manager; Best World Cuisine; and Local Food Hero. County winners were selected from the following categories: Best Restaurant; Best Chef; Best Gastro Pub; Best Casual Dining; Best Hotel Restaurant; Best Customer Service; Best Wine Experience; Best Newcomer; and Pub of the Year.
Speaking at the awards, Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland ( RAI) said: “Now in their ninth year, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to showcase the exquisite and admirable calibre of food available in our restaurants and pubs nationwide. Online nominations have increased from 9,000 in 2013 to over 80,000 this year.
“Our small island boasts everything from fine dining to high quality gastropubs, from the exotic taste explosions of world cuisine to the comfort of traditional dishes.”
All County winners now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in Dublin in May. The Winners in Sligo include: Best Restaurant – Sponsored by Dalcassian Wines & Spirits and Cielo Wines - Eala Bhán, Sligo town
Best Chef – Sponsored by Pallas Foods - Ethna Reynolds of Nook Café & Restaurant, Collooney
Best Gastro Pub – Sponsored by Coca Cola - The Draft House, Strandhill
Best Casual Dining – Sponsored by San Pellegrino - Langs Bar & Restaurant, Grange
Best Hotel Restaurant – Sponsored by Elavon - Coral Restaurant at the Diamond Coast Hotel, Enniscrone
Best Customer Service – Sponsored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro - Lyons Café, Sligo town
Best Wine Experience – Sponsored by CLASSICdrinks - Hargadon Bros, Sligo town
Best Newcomer – Sponsored by BWG Foodservice - Nook Café & Restaurant, Collooney
Pub of the Year – Sponsored by Bushmills - Thomas Connolly’s Pub, Rathquarter.
Meanwhile, at a hugely successful Irish Hotel Awards, The Glasshouse scooped four regional awards for Connacht before going on to win National Restaurant of the Year.
The Regional Awards were as fol- lows: Hotel Restaurant of the Year Receptionist of the Year – Elaine Durkin
Housekeeper of the Year – Daniel Wilczynski