The winners of the 2023 Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards have been announced.
Among the winners are Ballyfin Demesne Hotel in Co Laois and Neighbourhood in Co Kildare, while Campbell also listed her pick for best visitor attraction, best bar and more.
Now in its 25th year, the awards are selected by incognito inspectors and aim to honour Ireland's standard-bearers in food and hospitality.
Ballyfin Demesne in Ballyfin, Co Laois was named the best 5-star hotel in the country, with Campbell spotlighting its "surprisingly homely" atmosphere.
"Everything about the 614-acre estate is stunning", she wrote, "including the eight acres of walled garden that supply executive chef Richard Picard-Edwards's kitchen, along with wild foods from the estate and produce from trusted suppliers including Mountrath butcher Michael Keegan, Sustainable Seafood Ireland in Dublin and Duncannon Seafood, Co Wexford."
Clandeboye Lodge Hotel in Bangor, Co Down, a modern and privately owned hotel celebrated for its staff and "thoughtfully designed bedrooms", was named best 4-star hotel, while Casey's of Baltimore Hotel in Baltimore, Co Cork was named best 3-star hotel.
Neighbourhood, the acclaimed foodie destination in Naas, Co Kildare that has drawn rave reviews since opening in 2022, was named best restaurant in Ireland.
Transformed from a former pub to a modern and inviting dining space by owner Tom McGrath and his team, the restaurant won praise from Campbell for its "confident design and sheer quality", as well as for chef Gareth Naughton, who opened Circa in Dublin's Terenure in 2019 before shuttering it and joining the Aimsir team based out of Cliff at Lyons.
"Chef Naughton has a lovely lightness of touch in all his cooking", Campbell writes. "Every dish is beautifully constructed and cooked, and there is simultaneously a complexity and simplicity that raises them to a new level without affectation – clearly pleasing guests, who not only relish the finesse and flavour of the cooking and the warmly welcoming experience, but - delighted also by the good value offered - keep coming back for more."
The award for best pub went to The Parson's Nose in Hillsborough, Co Down, which Campbell calls a "charming 18th century pub and restaurant", while The Grapevine Lounge at Wineport Lodge in Glasson, Co Westmeath was named best bar in Ireland.
Brothers Francis and John Brennan – esteemed hoteliers who recently announced their plan to sell their highly respected Park Hotel Kenmare – scooped the Hospitality Heroes award.
Writing about the historic railway hotel, which the Brennan brothers bought in 1986, Campbell said that it "has become dear to the hearts of many through the years", and is notable as "a training ground for tiptop service" in the hospitality industry.
Read the list of top winners here:
5-star Hotel - Ballyfin, Co Laois
4-Star Hotel - Clandeboye Lodge, Co Down
3-Star Hotel - Casey's of Baltimore, Co Cork
Restaurant - Neighbourhood, Naas, Co Kildare
Chef - Angel Pirev, The Mustard Seed, Co Limerick
Pub - The Parson’s Nose, Hillsborough Co Down
Hospitality Hero - Francis and John Brennan, Park Hotel, Kenmare
Movers & Shakers - Darina Allen & Rory O'Connell, Ballymaloe Cookery School, Organic Farm & Gardens
Newcomer of the Year - Bramley Restaurant, Abbeyleix, Co Laois
Innovation Award - Mountain View, Ballyhale, Co Kilkenny
Sustainability -The Salthouse, Ballycastle, Co Antrim
Wine Experience - Burren Fine Wine & Food, Co Clare
Business Hotel - Clanard Court Hotel, Co Kildare
Memorable Experience - Dunmore House, Co Cork
Atmospheric Restaurant of the Year - The Sea Rooms at Kelly's Resort Hotel & Spa Rosslare, Co Wexford
Pet-friendly destination - Cashel House Hotel, Co Galway
Family-friendly Hotel - Ocean Sands Hotel, Co Sligo
