Top Laois restaurants and pubs revealed at gala awards

The top restaurants, cafes and bars in Laois were honoured at the Irish Restaurant Awards Leinster regional final.  A gala dinner was recently held to celebrate the best of the best in the hospitality industry across the province. The award for the best restaurant in Laois, sponsored by American Express, went to Bramley in Abbeyleix. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

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Bramley Abbeyleix with their award for Best Restaurant in Laois.

The award for best chef in the county, sponsored by BWG Food Service, went to Richard Picard-Edwards of Ballyfin Demesne. 

His colleague at Ballyfin Demesne, Carmel Boyle took home the award for best restaurant manager, sponsored by Paynt. 

Ballyfin Demesne also went home with awards for best hotel & guesthouse restaurant and best contemporary Irish Cuisine.

The award for employee excellence in Laois, sponsored by Peninsula, went to Orla Maher, Morrissey's Pub Abbeyleix. The best use of social media in the county went to the popular Portlaoise business Make and Mark.  Best casual dining, sponsored by Musgrave Marketplace, went to Bowe's Foodhall & Cafe. 

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Namo in Portlaoise took home the award for best world cuisine which was sponsored by National Chef de Partie Apprenticeship & National Sous Chef Apprenticeship Programmes.

The award for the best gastro pub in Laois, sponsored by Hendersons Foodservice, went to O'Gormans Bar & Restaurant in Portlaoise. Rathdowney’s Coffee to a Tea took home the award for the best newcomer in Laois, sponsored by Square. 

The highly anticipated pub of the year award for Laois went to popular Fisherman's Thatched Inn. The best wine experience award, Sponsored by Bibendum, went to Batonis in Emo. 

Treacy's Bar and Restaurant came out on top in the Best Customer Service category with their award sponsored by  Restaurant-Insurance.ie provided by Dolmen.

Abbeyleix’s Mueller & O'Connell Bakery were awarded the title of best café in Laois, sponsored by Illy. Portlarington’s Solas Eco Garden Centre took home the award for best sustainable practices while Vicarstown’s The Merry Mill was named Innovator of the Year. 

The award for local food hero, sponsored by Sugar Snap Agency, went to Cormac & Tracy Loonam, The Red Shed.

The Awards were held on Tuesday, March 3, at the Killashee Hotel in Kildare. 

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More than 1100 guests attended to recognise the achievements of restaurants, cafés and hospitality businesses operating across Leinster.

Now in its 17th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards attracted over 150,000 public nominations, submitted via The Irish Times, the official media partner.

Once all regional finals conclude, both Regional and All Ireland winners will be revealed at the All-Ireland Awards Gala Dinner on Monday, May 18 at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin. County winners from Leinster are now invited to secure tickets for the national ceremony.

Addressing attendees, Seán Collender, President of the Restaurants Association of Ireland, said:

“As Ireland places a renewed focus on culinary tourism, nights like this take on even greater importance. Our restaurants are not only central to local communities and employment, they are a key part of the experience visitors travel here for. The Irish Restaurant Awards shine a light on the quality, creativity and standards that underpin Ireland’s growing food reputation at home and abroad.”

“These awards are about more than recognition. They reinforce the link between hospitality businesses and Ireland’s wider tourism offering. By celebrating excellence at county and regional level, we strengthen the foundations of a food culture that attracts visitors, supports producers and sustains jobs right across the country. I want to congratulate every nominee and winner whose work contributes to that story.”