Five Irish restaurants have been awarded Bib Gourmands by the Michelin Guide ahead of the Michelin ceremony next week, which takes place in Dublin for the first time on 9 February.
Three restaurants in Dublin, one restaurant in Belfast and one restaurant in Waterford have been awarded the honour for exceptional standards of cooking at reasonable prices.
"These are the restaurants where generosity is the order of the day, providing tremendous value for money without skimping on flavour", according to the Guide.
They join 32 other restaurants in the UK, bringing this year's crop of new Bib Gourmands for the UK and Ireland to 37. These are not Michelin stars - which will be awarded at next week's ceremony at the Convention Centre in Dublin - but they are a sign of distinction none the less.
Having only opened last year, moody and elegant Italian spot Borgo in Phibsboro Dublin 7 is among this year's Bibs, after having been added to the Michelin Guide as a recommended spot in December. The osteria-inspired restaurant was founded by restaurateurs Sean Crescenzi (originally from Rome) and Jamie McCarthy, and puts a focus on an informal vibe and dishes that go big on flavour.
"It has succeeded in its mission with aplomb, providing all the simple, ingredient-led joys of Italian cooking in dishes like hake with confit datterini tomatoes, borlotti beans and aqua pazza", inspectors write. "It's popular with locals, so expect an electric atmosphere."
A longtime favourite of those who love a casual spot with plenty of sophistication and experimental dishes, it's not surprising to see Aungier St's Bigfan, headed up by Chef Alex Zhang, on the list.
Guests choose their dishes from a paper list, and inspectors gave a specific shout out to their Chinese and Taiwanese sharing plates such as "a range of jiaozi (dumplings) and xiao chi (short eats), plus a choice of bao buns – including the lip-smackingly delicious wu ya bao filled with tender pulled beef".
Forêt, Dublin, the sister restaurant to Forest Avenue and founded by John and Sandy Wyer, also made the cut, with inspectors celebrating the "rustic little bistro" that is tucked away above M. O'Brien’s pub. They added that "despite its quintessentially Dublin location, it wouldn’t feel out of place on the streets of Montmartre".
Of their dishes, the pâté de campagne, coq au vin and the saucisson sec snack to start got shout outs.
Waterford's Farmgate in Lismore, headed up by Máróg O'Brien and housed in a renovated former Victorian pub building, won praise for their "fuss-free, produce-led cooking that’s been making a resurgence in recent years".
Having founded the Farmgate Café in Cork's English Market with her sister, Kay, O'Brien knows all about excellent produce and ingredients, and spotlights them in dishes like lamb’s liver and bacon, which "perfectly encapsulates the kitchen’s talent for showing off quality produce", the inspectors wrote.
Finally, Belfast's Beau rounded out Ireland's 5 Bibs for 2026. Founded by Chef Lottie Noren and her fiancé Jonny Elliott - who also own EDŌ, a fellow Belfast Bib Gourmand - this elegant small plates spot in the city's Cathedral Quarter is notable for its focus on bold flavours.
Michelin inspectors highlighted the "simplicity and pure natural flavours of dishes like the langoustine scampi with sauce gribiche and the courgette with ricotta and basil, which really showed off the quality of the vegetable itself".
